Effect of Cerium on structures and electrical properties of Nb modified Bi3Ti1.5W0.5O9–Bi4Ti3O12 intergrowth aurivillius piezoceramics

Bi3Ti1.5W0.5O9–Bi4Ti3O12 intergrowth Aurivillius piezoceramics with 0.3mol Nb5+ replacing B site and x mol CeO2 (x = 0–0.25, abbreviated as BTNW-BITN-xCe) replacing A site were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The structures and electrical properties of BTNW-BITN-xCe samples were systematically explored. The results of XRD, Raman, and SEM showed that a single phase was formed. The results of XPS showed that the introduction of Ce ions reduces the concentration of oxygen vacancies, which is beneficial to improving piezoelectric performance. In addition, the results of PFM indicated that the introduction of Ce ions increased the diversity of domains and made it easier for domains to respond under the same voltage, which is also conducive to the improvement of piezoelectric properties. The d33 of the optimal component BTNW-BITN-xCe ceramics is 23.6 pC/N and it possesses 21.6 pC/N after 500 °C annealing treatment, which implies potential in the application of high-temperature sensors.