Superior comprehensive electrical properties in the < 001 > textured Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Zr 0.09 Ti 0.91 O 3 lead‐free piezoelectric ceramics

Abstract Outstanding electric performance can be achieved in the textured ceramics. Therefore, the Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Zr 0.09 Ti 0.91 O 3 (BCZT) lead‐free piezoceramics with high texture degree ( f ) in < 001 > direction were successfully prepared using template grain growth method. On account of the perfect sheet BaTiO 3 (BT) templates, a texture degree as high as 97.9% for BCZT‐3.0 wt% BT ceramics was obtained. The ceramics system exhibited excellent comprehensive electrical properties ( d 33 ~ 575 pC N −1 , k p ~ 0.61, T C ~ 89 °C ε r (20 °C) ~ 3002, tan δ ~ 4.18%, P r ~ 10.91 μC cm −2 , E C ~ 2.20 kV cm −1 ). The superior performance originated from the coexistence of rhombohedral‐orthorhombic‐tetragonal phases (R‐O‐T), as well as high textured degree. The multiphase coexistence was attributed to the composition design. This work provides a theoretical basis for designing lead‐free piezoceramics with excellent properties in the future.