Effect of porosity on the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 piezoelectric ceramics

Abstract The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 (BCZT) ceramics were measured as a function of porosity. Porous BCZT ceramics were fabricated using the sacrificial fugitive technique. Two different pore morphologies were induced by adding polymeric microspheres and fibres as the pore-forming agents. Increasing porosity led to decreasing ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties due to a reduction of polarisable BCZT ceramic available. With the benefit of being a lead-free piezoelectric material, porous BCZT ceramics may be considered for acoustic impedance matching in actuator and sensor applications, and also as a functional component in biomedical applications.