journal article·2026-06

Synergistic Domain and Defect Engineering Enables Giant Electrostrain With High Piezoelectric Sensitivity in Lead‐Free Ferroelectrics

Yuxuan Li, Xinru Nie, Ruiyi Jing, Fukang Chen, Leiyang Zhang, Yule Yang, Zhanhui Peng, Xiaolian Chao, Li Jin, Zupei Yang

Small· Volume 22· Issue 35
Publisher page

Abstract

ABSTRACT Simultaneously achieving high piezoelectric sensitivity and large electric‐field‐induced strain remains a fundamental challenge for lead‐free piezoelectric ceramics, as these responses are typically limited by competing polarization stability and mobility. Here, we present a general electromechanical design paradigm that overcomes this trade‐off through the cooperative regulation of hierarchical domain structures and defect‐mediated internal bias fields in (K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 (KNN)‐based ferroelectrics. Using 0.96K 0.48 Na 0.52 NbO 3 ‐0.04Bi 0.5 Li 0.5 HfO 3 as a model system, partial substitution of Nb 5+ with Sb 5+ serves as a multifunctional tuning parameter to simultaneously modulate phase constitution, domain architecture, and defect chemistry. At an optimal Sb 5+ concentration, hierarchical multivariant domain configurations are stabilized, while aligned defect dipoles associated with coupled A‐site and oxygen vacancies introduce controlled energetic asymmetry into the polarization landscape. This asymmetric yet dynamically flexible polarization state enables low‐barrier polarization rotation and reversible domain switching under electric fields. As a result, the optimized ceramics exhibit a high piezoelectric coefficient of approximately 350 pC N −1 together with an ultrahigh electrostrain of about 1.14%, placing them among the top‐performing lead‐free piezoelectric systems reported to date. More broadly, this work provides a transferable strategy for designing next‐generation lead‐free piezoelectrics with concurrently enhanced piezoelectric and electrostrain responses.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials · Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Acoustic Wave Resonator Technologies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province Shaanxi Key Laboratory For Advanced Energy Devices Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory For Advanced Energy Technology School of Materials Science and Engineering Shaanxi Normal University Xi'an China

Electronic Materials Research Laboratory School of Electronic Science and Engineering Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

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