Anomalous piezoelectric response of ferroelectric mesocrystalline BaTiO3/Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 nanocomposites designed by strain engineering. Issue 17 (23rd April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Wenxiong; Ma, Hao; Li, Sen; Hu, Dengwei; Kong, Xingang; Uemura, Shinobu; Kusunose, Takafumi; Feng, Qi
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale. Volume 10:Issue 17(2018)
• Page Start: 8196
• Page End: 8206
• Publication Date: 2018-04-23
• Subjects: Nanoscience -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1039/c7nr09135d
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-3364

Abstract

Abstract : Mesocrystals, a new class of unique materials, not only have potential properties based on the individual nanocrystals but also have a single-crystal-like function. Abstract : Mesocrystals, a new class of unique materials, not only have potential properties based on the individual nanocrystals but also have a single-crystal-like function. Here, we report a ferroelectric mesocrystalline BaTiO3 /Bi0.5 Na0.5 TiO3 (BT/BNT) nanocomposite synthesized from a layered titanate H1.07 Ti1.73 O4 (HTO) by an ingenious two-step topochemical process for the first time. The BT/BNT nanocomposite is constructed from well-aligned BT and BNT nanocrystals with the same crystal-axis orientation. The BT/BNT heteroepitaxial interface in the nanocomposite is promising for an enhanced piezoelectric performance by using lattice strain engineering, which gives a giant piezoelectric response with a value of 408 pm V −1 . The introduced lattice strain at the BT/BNT heteroepitaxial interface causes transitions of pseudo-paraelectric BT and BNT nanocrystals to ferroelectric nanocrystals in the mesocrystalline nanocomposite, which enlarges ferroelectric, piezoelectric and dielectric responses. The lattice strain also results in the elevated Curie temperatures ( T c ) of BT and BNT and a new intermediate phase transition.