High strain, <001 > textured 0.675Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.325PbTiO3 ceramics:: Templated grain growth and piezoelectric properties

Lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate, 0.675Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O(3)N0.325PbTiO(3) (PMN-32.5PT) ceramics were textured (grain-oriented) in the < 001 >-crystallographic direction by the templated grain growth process. The textured PMN-32.5PT ceramics were produced by orienting {001}-SrTiO3 (ST) platelets (similar to 10 mu m in diameter and -2-mu m thickness) in a submicron PMN-32.5PT matrix. The templated growth of < 001 >-oriented PMN-32.5PT grains on the ST platelets resulted in textured ceramics with similar to 70% Lotgering factor and > 98% theoretical density. Unlike most lead-based ceramics, excess PbO was not needed for sintering or grain growth. Based on unipolar stain-field measurements at 0.2 Hz, the textured samples displayed > 0.3% strain at 50 kV/cm. Low-field d(33)-coefficients of > 1600 pC/N (< 5 kV/cm) were measured directly from unipolar measurements. The low drive field d(33)-piezoelectric coefficient of the highly textured samples is two times greater than polycrystalline PMN-32.5PT.