Microstructure and electrophysical properties of high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics 0.36BiScO$_3$–0.64PbTiO$_3$

The microstructure and electrophysical properties of 0.36BiScO$_3$–0.64PbTiO$_3$ ceramics produced by two different techniques was studied. Ceramics with enhanced piezoelectric anisotropy (the ratio of piezoelectric constants $d_{33}/|d_{31}|\approx5$) was obtained. It was shown that modified two-step sintering leads to a decrease in the average grain size of the ceramics from 8–10 $\mu$m to 0.8–1 $\mu$m. A significant improvement of the piezoelectric characteristics of the samples synthesized by the two-step technique ($d_{33}$ = 525 pC/N) is observed, compared to the one-step process ($d_{33}$ = 375 pC/N). The high Curie temperature ($T_{\mathrm{C}}$ = 433$^\circ$C) and enhanced piezoelectric properties of 0.36BiScO$_3$–0.64PbTiO$_3$ ceramics produced by the modified two-step technique make it attractive for applications at elevated temperatures.