Synergistically enhances piezoelectricity and resistivity of high temperature 0.3Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9-0.7Bi3TiNbO9 ceramics by (W,Cr) co-doping

High-temperature piezoelectric materials are highly sought after for applications in aerospace and geological exploration, which necessitates a stringent combination of a high Curie temperature (T_C), a robust piezoelectric constant (d₃₃), and excellent high-temperature resistivity. Bismuth layer-structured ferroelectrics (BLSFs) have attracted extensive attention in the high-temperature piezoelectric field, owing to their exceptionally high T_C, outstanding thermal stability, and low dielectric loss. As a typical BLSF, Bi₃TiNbO₉ (BTN) features a remarkably high T_C of ~910 °C, making it a highly promising candidate for high-temperature applications. However, the practical deployment of pure BTN ceramics in high-temperature electronic devices is severely impeded by their intrinsically weak piezoelectric response (d₃₃≤3 pC/N). Similarly, Na_0.5Bi_2.5Nb₂O₉ (NBN), another representative member of the BLSF family, struggles with insufficient piezoelectric performance (d₃₃≈9.2 pC/N) despite possessing a substantial T_C of ~790 °C.

Recently, a research group of high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics led by Prof. Dr. Zong-Yang Shen from Jingdezhen Ceramic University, reported the electrical properties of W,Cr co-doped 0.3Na_0.5Bi_2.5Nb₂O₉-0.7Bi₃Ti_1-x(W_1/3Cr_2/3)_xNbO₉ (abbreviated as 0.3NBN-0.7BTN-WC_x, x=0-0.06) solid solutions through the rational regulation of crystal structure and defect engineering. The 0.3NBN-0.7BTN-WC_0.04 ceramics possess an enhanced piezoelectric constant of 20.3 pC/N, high resistivity (ρ=7.3×10⁷ Ω·cm, @500 ^oC) and low dielectric loss (tanδ=0.057, @500 ^oC). This work provides a feasible strategy for improving the piezoelectric properties of bismuth layer-structured ceramics, which has important prospects for the application of high-temperature piezoelectric devices.

The team available online their work in Journal of Advanced Ceramics on March 11, 2026.

“In this work, we successfully fabricated W,Cr co-doped 0.3Na_0.5Bi_2.5Nb₂O₉-0.7Bi₃TiNbO₉ ceramics, simultaneously elevating the piezoelectric constant and resistivity to remarkable values of 20.3 pC/N and 7.3×10⁷ Ω·cm, respectively. This result is due to the incorporation of W/Cr ions disrupts the long-range order of the crystal lattice, which induces significant distortion of [Nb/Ti]O₆ octahedral and generates more stable domain structures, contributing to enhanced piezoelectric response. Meanwhile, W⁶⁺ donor doping and the formation of (CrTi'-VO∙∙) defect dipoles synergistically reduced the concentration of oxygen vacancies, thereby achieving high resistivity. ” said Prof. Zong-Yang Shen, dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University (China), whose research interests include dielectric ceramics for high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics for sensor applications and high power density ferroelectric ceramics for energy storage applications.

“The inclination (α) of the oxygen octahedron toward the c-axis and the rotation angle (∠β_O6) toward the a-b plane represent the structural distortion, as observed in the visual crystal structure. The W/Cr co-doping induces a pronounced distortion within the octahedral layer. Such structural distortion serves as the fundamental basis for the enhancement of the material's piezoelectric properties.” said Zong-Yang Shen.

“The reduction in internal carrier concentration, driven by the W/Cr co-doping, significantly suppresses the dielectric loss at elevated temperatures. Notably, the x= 0.04 sample demonstrates superior dielectric temperature stability. Furthermore, the incorporation of dopants elevates the degree of diffuseness (γ). This enhanced relaxor behavior effectively lowers the domain wall energy, facilitating domain switching under an applied electric field and consequently boosting the piezoelectric performance of the ceramics.” said Zong-Yang Shen.

“More importantly, 0.3NBN-0.7BTN-WC_0.04 ceramics obtain a maximum piezoelectric coefficient of 20.3 pC/N, and that remains 93.1% of the initial value at annealing temperature of 600 ^oC, owing to structural adjustments and stable domain configuration. Besides, 0.3NBN-0.7BTN-WC_0.04 ceramics achieve a high Curie temperature (T_C=845.9 ^oC) and high resistivity (ρ=7.3×10⁷ Ω·cm).” said Zong-Yang Shen.

Prof. Zong-Yang Shen said “In the following work, I will work with my team to drive high-temperature piezoelectric materials to sensitive sensor application at harsh environments. We believe this work would be a great project but much more difficulty in the future. We hope find more colleagues with similar interest to join us!!!”

Other contributors include Zhipeng Zhang, Fusheng Song, Qilai Wen, Zhumei Wang and Wenqin Luo from School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University in Jingdezhen, China.

About Author

First Author: Zhipeng Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University. His research interests lie in the synthesis and performance modulation of bismuth layer-structured piezoelectric ceramics.

Co-first Author: Fusheng Song is a Senior Engineer and Master’s Supervisor at Jingdezhen Ceramic University. His research expertise lies in the innovative design and development of functional ceramics and ceramic pigments, as well as advanced material testing and characterization methodologies.

Corresponding Author: Zong-Yang Shen obtained his Ph.D. degree from Wuhan University of Technology and completed his postdoctoral research at Tsinghua University. He has also served as a Visiting Scholar at Pennsylvania State University (USA) and a Visiting Professor at the University of Wollongong (Australia). He is currently a Professor, Ph.D. Supervisor, and the Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Jingdezhen Ceramic University. His research interests primarily focus on dielectric energy storage ceramics and piezoelectric ceramics.

Funding

This work was supported by Key Research & Development Project of Jiangxi Province (20223BBE51018) and the Graduate Innovation Fund of Jiangxi Province (YC2024-B241).

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 2024 IF is 16.6, ranking in Top 1 (1/34, Q1) among all journals in “Materials Science, Ceramics” category, and its 2024 CiteScore is 25.9 (5/130) in Scopus database. ResearchGate homepage: https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Journal-of-Advanced-Ceramics-2227-8508