Element doping is one of the important approaches to improve the performance of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. In this study, Ba0·92Ca0·08Zr0·05Ti0·95O3-xLa (BCZT-xLa) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by sol–gel method. The effects of La3+ contents on the phase structure, mechanical properties, and electrical properties of BCZT-xLa ceramics were investigated. Results showed that La3+ could affect the properties of ceramics by adjusting the concentration of oxygen vacancies and microstructure. When the La3+ contents were 0.008, the ceramics showed the best performance (the maximum permittivity was 8736.27, the remnant polarisation was 9.69 μC/cm2 and the coercive field was 3.44 kV/cm). The influences of Vickers hardness on ceramics were investigated using various La3+ contents. The lattice energy and oxygen vacancies were the main factors for the change in Vickers hardness. With an increment of x, the Vickers hardness values decreased from 6.271 GPa to 1.438 GPa. This study could provide a reference for BCZT piezoelectric ceramics doped with rare earth elements.
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