Piezoelectric performance and curie temperature synergy in Bi4Ti3O12: can A/B site co-doping revolutionize high-temperature piezoceramics?

With the rapid advancements in science and technology, piezoelectric sensors for aerospace applications urgently demand multiple critical requirements, including high sensitivity, superior reliability, and exceptional temperature stability to operate in extreme high-temperature environments. In this context, the development of high-temperature piezoelectric ceramic materials with outstanding thermal stability and piezoelectric properties has emerged as a cutting-edge research direction in the field of functional materials. Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ (BIT) exhibits a remarkable T_C of 675 °C, demonstrating promising potential for high-temperature device applications. However, oxygen vacancies generated during sintering degrade piezoelectric activity. The A/B-site co-doped strategy has been widely used to improve the comprehensive electrical properties of BIT-based ceramics.

A team of material scientists led by Ye-Jing Dai from Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, China, recently proposed a new A/B-site co-doped strategy for BIT-based high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics to advance research in the field. By combining B-site non-equivalent doping with A-site substitution of ions (e.g., Ce³⁺) that have radii comparable to Bi³⁺, the team achieved simultaneous enhancement of piezoelectric performance and retention of high T_C.

The team published their research in the Journal of Advanced Ceramics on April 08, 2025.

“Building upon B-site non-equivalent co-doping, we introduced Ce³⁺ ions (with radii similar to Bi³⁺) into the A-site to resolve the incompatibility between high piezoelectricity and elevated Curie temperature. A series of Bi_4-xCe_xTi_2.97(Cr_1/3Ta_2/3)_0.03O₁₂ ceramics were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. The phase structure, microstructure, piezoelectric performance, conductive mechanism, and piezoelectric enhancement mechanism of the samples were systematically investigated. When the doping content is 0.04 mol%, ceramics exhibit a high piezoelectric coefficient of 37 pC·N⁻¹ and a high Curie temperature of 681 ℃. Moreover, a significantly increased resistivity of 6.6×10⁶ Ω·cm at 500 ℃ and good piezoelectric stability up to 600 ℃ are also obtained for this composition. All the results demonstrate that Ce/Cr/Ta co-doped BIT-based ceramics have great potential for high-temperature piezoelectric applications.” said Xuanyu Chen, senior author of the paper and doctor in the School of Materials at Sun Yat-sen University.

Furthermore, this novel A/B-site co-doping strategy effectively modulates domain structure. Upon Ce³⁺ incorporation, an increase in domain sizes was observed, accompanied by enhanced piezoelectric response and improved electrical breakdown strength. Consequently, the designed ceramics exhibited superior piezoelectric performance with a d₃₃ value of 37 pC·N⁻¹.

The next step of the research team is to fabricate the textured BIT-based ceramics. “We aim to achieve oriented grain growth through the fabrication of textured ceramics, thereby enabling a more refined domain structure and enhanced piezoelectric response,” Xuanyu Chen said. The final aim of the research team is to fabricate bismuth-layered piezoelectric ceramic devices with excellent electrical properties suitable for working at high temperatures.

Other contributors include Bao Ou, Guan-Fu Liu, Yu-Xing Dai, Bin Li, and Ye-Jing Dai from the School of Materials at Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, China.

This work is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52172135), the Youth Top Talent Project of the National Special Support Program (No. 2021-527-07), the Leading Talent Project of the National Special Support Program (No. 2022WRLJ003), and the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (Nos. 2022B1515020070 and 2021B1515020083).

About Journal of Advanced Ceramics

Journal of Advanced Ceramics (JAC) is an international academic journal that presents the state-of-the-art results of theoretical and experimental studies on the processing, structure, and properties of advanced ceramics and ceramic-based composites. JAC is Fully Open Access, monthly published by Tsinghua University Press, and exclusively available via SciOpen. JAC’s 2023 IF is 18.6, ranking in Top 1 (1/31, Q1) among all journals in “Materials Science, Ceramics” category, and its 2023 CiteScore is 21.0 (top 5%) in Scopus database. ResearchGate homepage: https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Journal-of-Advanced-Ceramics-2227-8508

About SciOpen 

SciOpen is an open access resource of scientific and technical content published by Tsinghua University Press and its publishing partners. SciOpen provides end-to-end services across manuscript submission, peer review, content hosting, analytics, identity management, and expert advice to ensure each journal’s development. By digitalizing the publishing process, SciOpen widens the reach, deepens the impact, and accelerates the exchange of ideas.