Ultra-low hysteresis electrostrictive strain with high thermal stability in Bi(Li0.5Nb0.5)O-3-modified BaTiO3 lead-free ferroelectrics

Electric-field-induced strain is often generated in piezoceramics, in which domain wall motion inherently results in hysteresis and energy dissipation, and subsequently affects the design and performance of actuators. Here, we proposed a strategy to search for electric-field-induced strain with low hysteresis and high thermal stability in electrostrictive materials based on thermal stability consistency between strain S-3 and dielectric constant epsilon(r). According to this strategy, we reported an ultra-low hysteresis (<10%) S-3 with high thermal stability (Delta S/S-30 <= 25%, S-30 means the maximum strain S-max measured at 30 degrees C) and high electrostrictive coefficient Q(33) (similar to 0.037-0.049 m(4)/C-2) in Bi(Li0.5Nb0.5)O-3-modified BaTiO3 (BT-xBLN) lead-free ferroelectrics with x = 0.08 from 30 degrees C to 120 degrees C, due to the high thermal stability of epsilon(r). This work would not only report an important candidate for applications in high-precision actuators, but also supply a novel strategy for electrostrictive materials to increase the strain level with high thermal stability. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.