PIN–PMN–PT piezoelectric crystals with increased rhombohedral-to-tetragonal phase transition temperature

Abstract

In this work, crystal growth and characterization of PIN–PMN–PT (29–59% PIN and 28–35% PT) were conducted to understand how PIN ratio in the PIN–PMN–PT system impacts its phase stability during crystallization. High-quality PIN–PMN–PT crystals with 36% PIN were obtained using the self-seeded Bridgman process, even though the cubic phase In 2 O 3 formed at the very beginning of solidification. The melt became more unstable when the PIN ratio in the PIN–PMN–PT system increased to 49% and above, which affected the composition and quality of the as-grown crystals significantly. By increasing the PIN to 36% in PIN–PMN–PT crystal, the rhombohedral-to-tetragonal phase transition temperatures and the coercive field reached 115–135°C and 4.5~5.6 kV/cm, respectively, that greatly expanded the operation domains compared to PMN–PT crystals.