Yoshinori Fujikawa

Enhanced piezoelectric response of BaTiO3–KNbO3 composites

The piezoelectric response of solvothermally synthesized BaTiO3 (BT)–KNbO3 (KN) composites (the nominal BT/KN ratio was 1) with distinct interfaces was investigated. The x-ray diffraction pattern showed two distinct peaks began to merge into a singular broad peak at a two-theta position between (200) and (002) tetragonal-related peaks of BT. The transmission electron microscopy observation showed a heteroepitaxial interface region between BT single-crystal particles and deposited KN crystals. The large-field piezoelectric constant was 136 pC/N, which was three times larger than that of a sintered 0.5BT–0.5KN composite. The enhanced piezoelectric response was attributed to the strained epitaxial interface region.

Preparation of Barium Titanate–Potassium Niobate Nanostructured Ceramics with Artificial Morphotropic Phase Boundary Structure By Solvothermal Method

Barium titanate (BaTiO3, BT)–potassium niobate (KNbO3, KN) (BT–KN) nanostructured ceramics with a distorted interface region, i.e., artificial morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) structure, were prepared by the solvothermal method. The results of the optimization of reaction conditions showed that the metastable region of only KN crystal growth was obtained using a mixture of KOH and K2CO3 as the K source and Nb2O5 as the Nb source in ethanol. Moreover, KN formation under the metastable region using a particle compact composed of a mixture of BT and Nb2O5 particles as substrates resulted in the successful preparation of BT–KN nanostructured ceramics with an artificial MPB region and a porosity of around 35%. This is the first report on the preparation of ceramics with a heteroepitaxial interface between BT and KN below 230 °C.

Impact of local strain on Ti-L2,3 electron energy-loss near-edge structures of BaTiO3: a first-principles multiplet study

Identification of local strains is crucial because the local strains largely influence the ferroelectric property of BaTiO₃. The effects of local strains induced by external pressures on the Ti-L₂,₃ electron energy-loss near-edge structure (ELNES) of BaTiO₃ were theoretically investigated using first-principles multiplet calculations. We revealed that the effects appear in the position of the spectral threshold, namely the spectrum shifts to lower and higher energy sides by the tensile and compressive pressures, respectively. We concluded that conventional ELNES observations can identify only large strains induced by -10 GPa, and 0.1 eV energy resolution is required to identify ±2% of strains.

Ab-initio multiplet calculation of oxygen vacancy effect on Ti-L2,3 electron energy loss near edge structures of BaTiO3

The effect of oxygen vacancy on Ti-L2,3 electron energy-loss near-edge structures (ELNES) of BaTiO3 was theoretically investigated through ab initio multiplet calculation. The presence of an oxygen vacancy influences spectral features not only at the nearest neighbor Ti site but also at Ti sites further from the oxygen vacancy. The effects of different oxygen vacancy concentrations were also investigated. Based on this study, it was concluded that the detection limit for oxygen vacancy with Ti-L2,3 ELNES is approximately 1%.

Nanostructure Control of Barium Titanate--Potassium Niobate Nanocomplex Ceramics and Their Enhanced Ferroelectric Properties

Barium titanate (BaTiO3,BT)–potassium niobate (KNbO3,KN) nanocomplex ceramics with various KN/BT molar ratios were prepared by a solvothermal method. From a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation, it was confirmed that the KN layer thickness on BT particles was controlled from 5 to 40 nm by controlling KN/BT molar ratios. Their dielectric constants were measured at room temperature and 1 MHz, and the maximum dielectric constant of 370 was measured for the BT–KN nanocomplex ceramics with a KN thickness of 22 nm. TEM observation revealed that at a KN thickness below 22 nm, the BT/KN heteroepitaxial interface was assigned as a strained interface, while at 40 nm, the interface was assigned as a relaxed one. These results suggested that the strained heteroepitaxial interface could be responsible for the enhanced dielectric properties.

Preparation of Potassium Niobate/Barium Titanate Nanocomposite Ceramics with a Wide Barium Titanate Particle Size Distribution and their Dielectric Properties

Denser, solvothermally synthesized KNbO3 (KN) / BaTiO3 (BT) composites with heteroepitaxial interfaces were prepared using the barium titanate powder with a wide particle size distribution. The relative density was 68 - 80 %, which was larger than that of the composites prepared using the barium titanate powder with a narrow particle size distribution. The dielectric constant was 300 450 and it was maximized at the KN/BT molar ratio of 0.5. The origin was discussed with the microstructure and crystal structure.

Piezoelectric and Dielectric Enhancement of New Nano-structured Ceramics with Heteroepitaxial Interfaces

Barium titanate (BT) - potassium niobate (KN) nano-structured ceramics with an artificial morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) structure were prepared by a solvothermal method at temperatures below 230 °C. Various characterizations of the BT-KN nano-structured ceramics revealed that the BT/KN molar ratio was 1, the porosity was around 30 %, and the interface between BT particles and KN crystals was heteroepitaxial. The apparent piezoelectric constant d33* was 136 pC/N, which was three times larger than that of 0.5BT-0.5KN dense composite ceramics. The concept proposed in this study can be useful to create piezoelectric ceramics with artificial MPB regions.