Water-mediated production of K0.5Na0.5NbO3 piezoelectric ceramics with cold-sintering assisted route: Enhanced dielectric properties

Cold sintering is an attractive method to densify ceramics, providing the opportunity to produce ferroelectrics efficiently. This is particularly important for cases where ceramics like perovskites are prone to high A-site element volatilization at high temperatures. The resulting uncontrolled creation of defects is often detrimental to the ferroelectric properties. In this work, cold-sintering assisted production of KNN ceramics with water (no corrosive transient liquid) leads to a homogenous, high-density pure KNN with high dielectric permittivity and lower dielectric losses as compared to high-temperature sintering techniques. Our work could, therefore, open a new venue for further modification of defect chemistry in lead-free piezoelectrics.