Preparation and piezoelectric properties of potassium sodium niobate glass ceramics

This paper describes the preparation of a piezoelectric glass ceramic material from potassium sodium niobate (K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃; KNN) using a novel melting method. The effects of the subsequent heat-treatment on the optical, thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties of the material are carefully examined, and its crystal structure and surface morphology are characterized respectively by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. This new material has a much higher piezoelectric coefficient (163 pC·N^-1) than traditional piezoelectric ceramics (131 pC·N^-1). On this basis therefore, a strategy for the future study and development of lead-free KNN-based piezoelectric glass ceramics is proposed.