A Brief Review of Some Challenging Issues in Textured Piezoceramics via Templated Grain Growth Method

Abstract

It is well known that polycrystalline ceramics fabricated via the templated grain growth method along a desired crystallographic direction, generally along [001], exhibits enhanced piezoelectric response. Generally, the piezoelectric properties of textured ceramics depend on the degree of texture, as piezoelectric properties peak in single crystals. Therefore, understanding the relationship between the degree of texture and piezoelectric properties is fundamental. Here, we present state-of-the-art textured piezoceramics by focusing on critical issues such as the quality of templates used for texturing and proper evaluation of the degree of texture analysis. The relationship between the degree of texture and its impact on the properties of textured materials is exclusively defined by the Lotgering factor (L.F.) calculated from the X-ray diffraction profiles. Additionally, we show that L.F. is not a suitable indicator of the degree of texture, contrary to previous interpretations. This statement was further supported by the fact that the true degree of texture can be better quantified by the multiples of random distribution. This argument was justified by comparing the quantitative values of the degree of texture obtained from both methods to those of the piezoelectric charge coefficient of textured and random ceramics.