Ferroelectric domain dynamics is at the heart of any ferroelectric-based application. In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) offers an exciting opportunity to directly image ferroelectric switching and dynamics, revealing phenomena that might be concealed in macroscopic measurements. Here, we investigate voltage-driven response mobile, needlelike domains walls (DWs) a (K,Na)NbO3 single ...

Recently, the need has arisen to enhance piezoelectric properties and temperature stability of (Na,K)NbO3 system ceramics. The (0.965)(Li0.03(Na0.5K0.5)0.97)(Nb1−xSbx)O3−0.035 (Bi0.5Na0.5)0.9(Sr)0.1ZrO3 ceramics were newly manufactured using sintering aids CuO, B2O3, ZnO as a function antimony substitution, their crystal structure electrical characteristics analyzed. grain size was apparently r...

Miniaturization of domains to the nanometer scale has been previously reported in many piezoelectrics with two-phase coexistence. Despite the observation of nanoscale domain configuration near the polymorphic phase transition (PPT) regionin virgin (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN) based ceramics, it remains unclear how this domain state responds to external loads and influences the macroscopic electro-mech...

Prior studies have shown that a field-induced ferroelectricity in ceramics with general chemical formula (1−x−y)(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–xBaTiO3–y(K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 and a very low remanent strain can produce very large piezoelectric strains. Here we show that both the longitudinal and transverse strains gradually change with applied electric fields even during the transition from the nonferroelectric to t...

High-aspect-ratio single-crystalline KNN nanorods (length ~10-20 μm and diameter ~400 nm) are synthesized using a facile method based on a molten-salt reaction, whose formation mechanism has been revealed. The lead-free piezoelectric nanorods showing high piezoelectric coefficient d*33 up to ~230 pm V(-1) may be used in bio-sensing and energy-harvesting micro-devices.

In this study, we fabricated piezoelectric energy harvesters composed of lead-free (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) thin films and compared the power generation performance with PZT-thin film energy harvesters. Both of the piezoelectric thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/Si cantilevers by rf-sputtering. The KNN and PZT thin films had perovskite structure, and showed the relative dielectric constants of 744 and...

(K(x),Na(1-x))NbO(3) (KNN) thin films were deposited on (001)SrRuO(3)/(001)Pt/(001)MgO substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering, and their piezoelectric properties were investigated. The x-ray diffraction measurements indicated that the KNN thin films were epitaxially grown with the c-axis orientation in the perovskite tetragonal system. The lattice constant of the c-axis increased with increasing...