Textured Piezoceramics: Processing, Properties and Applications

Crystallographic texturing of polycrystalline ceramics allows the exploitation of property anisotropy and application of domain engineering, potentially offering an effective means of achieving enhanced piezoelectric properties. In this chapter, we review the history and recent contributions to the fields of texture-engineered piezoceramics. Fundamental basis for texture development in piezoceramics is provided, and processes with emphases on template grain growth to induce grain orientations are surveyed, including template selection and synthesis, template alignment techniques, and relationships among densification and texture development. Then, texture-property relationships and related mechanisms in piezoceramics are discussed based on both lead-based systems (especially relaxor PT-based ones) and lead-free systems, including KNN-, BNT-, BT-, tungsten-bronze, bismuth-layer, and perovskite-layer ones, with an update on piezoelectric properties and phase transitional temperatures. Finally, we show applications of textured piezoceramics. This chapter provides a historical perspective, the present status, and future directions in the field of textured piezoceramics.