Investigation of phase boundaries in the system (K xNa 1− x) 1− yLi y(Nb 1− zTa z)O 3 using high-throughput experimentation (HTE)

Abstract

A high-throughput experimental (HTE) approach starting from dry, fine-grained powders was used to synthesize bulk samples in the system (K x Na 1− x ) 1− y Li y(Nb 1− z Ta z )O 3, a doped variant of the piezoelectric (K 0.5Na 0.5)NbO 3 (KNN). Starting from the system (K 0.5Na 0.5) 1− y Li y (Nb 1− z Ta z )O 3 known from the works of Saito et al. an effort was made to establish a higher order phase diagram. Special emphasis was put on expanding the known morphotropic phase boundary that constitutes a region of special interest for electroceramic materials as it features maximum piezoelectric properties. Analyses were performed using a HTE-compatible technique, namely automated powder X-ray diffraction (XRD).