Effect of electric boundary conditions on crack propagation in ferroelectric ceramics

In this paper, the effect of electric boundary conditions on Mode I crack propagation in ferroelectric ceramics is studied by using both linear and nonlinear piezoelectric fracture mechanics. In linear analysis, impermeable cracks under open circuit and short circuit are analyzed using the Stroh formalism and a rescaling method. It is shown that the energy release rate in short circuit is larger than that in open circuit. In nonlinear analysis, permeable crack conditions are used and the nonlinear effect of domain switching near a crack tip is considered using an energy-based switching criterion proposed by Hwang et al.（Acta Metal. Mater.,1995）. In open circuit, a large depolarization field induced by domain switching makes switching much more diffcult than that in short circuit. Analysis shows that the energy release rate in short circuit is still larger than that in open circuit, and is also larger than the linear result. Consequently,whether using linear or nonlinear fracture analysis, a crack is found easier to propagate in short circuit than in open circuit, which is consistent with the experimental observations of Kounga Njiwa et al.（Eng. Fract. Mech., 2006）.

La_(2)O_(3)-modified BiYbO_(3)–Pb(Zr,Ti)O_(3) ternary piezoelectric ceramics with enhanced electrical properties and thermal depolarization temperature

High-performance Pb(Zr_(1−x)Ti_(x))O_(3)(PZT)piezoceramics are urgently desired by the market in view of their expanded operating temperature range,reduced property temperature dependence,and enhanced sensitivity and acoustic power.In this work,we reported a kind of low-cost and high-performance 0.06BiYbO_(3)–0.94Pb(Zr_(0.48)Ti_(0.52))O_(3) ternary piezoceramics;the modifying effects of La_(2)O_(3) on this perovskite system were investigated in terms of the structures,electrical properties,and thermal depolarization behaviors of ceramics.The field-dependent dielectric and conduction properties indicated that there are close correlations among oxygen vacancies(VO),conducting electrons,and intrinsic conduction process.The degradation in ferroelectric properties observed in those samples doped with more than 0.15 wt%of La_(2)O_(3) indicated that the occupying mechanisms of La^(3+)changed from the donor substitution for Pb^(2+)to the isovalent substitution for Bi^(3+).The thermally depoling micromechanisms of ceramics were revealed from the thermodynamic processes of defect dipoles and intrinsic dipoles within ferroelectric domains.The sample doped with 0.15 wt%of La_(2)O_(3) shows excellent electrical properties with TC=387℃,d33=332 pC/N,TKε=5.81×10^(−3)℃−1,Pr=20.66μC/cm^(2),Td=356℃.The significantly enhanced electrical properties and thermal depolarization temperature benefited from the donor substitution of La3+,decreasing the oxygen vacancy concentration in the lattice and possibly optimizing the ferroelectric domain structure of ceramics.