title: Lead-Free KNbO3:xZnO Composite Ceramics.
abstract: It is a tough issue to develop dense and water resistant KNbO3ceramics due to high evaporation and hygroscopicity of K2O. Here, KNbO3:xZnO composite ceramics were used to successfully solve this problem, where ZnO particles were randomly distributed into a KNbO3matrix. The addition of ZnO hardly affects the phase structure of KNbO3, and moreover, the enhancement of electrical properties, thermal stability, and aging characteristics was observed in KNbO3:xZnO composite ceramics. The composites possessed the maximum d33of 120 ± 5 pC/N, which is superior to that of pure KNbO3(d33= 80 pC/N). More importantly, a strong water resistance and an aging-free characteristic were observed in KNbO3:0.4ZnO. This is the first time for KNbO3ceramics to simultaneously improve electrical properties and resolve the water-absorbing properties. We believe that these composite ceramics are promising for practical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610064, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610064, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhuoyun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610064, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiagang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610064, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dingquan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610064, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: KNbO3; ZnO; composite ceramics; electrical properties; water resistance