Enhanced piezoelectricity in Pb(Zr_0.48Ti_0.52)O₃-Pb(Mn_1/3Sb_2/3)O₃-Pb(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃ ceramics through the synergistic effect of defect engineering and lattice distortion

With the increasing demand for industrial applications, it has become crucial to develop special high-power devices that can achieve both high piezoelectric performance and large mechanical quality factor. In this work, we prepared quaternary piezoelectric ceramics, namely (0.95-x)Pb(Zr_0.48Ti_0.52)O₃-xPb(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃-0.05Pb(Mn_1/3Sb_2/3)O₃ (PZT-PMT-PMS), using a traditional solid-state route. These ceramics exhibit an excellent mechanical quality factor and low loss. By adding an appropriate amount of PMT (x = 0.09), the Mg²⁺ ions were homogeneously incorporated into the crystal lattice, resulting in a reduction in the content of the tetragonal phase. The formation of (Mg_Zr,Ti^′′−V_O^.) defect dipoles has been studied through Rietveld refinement, which indicates that defect dipoles can hinder domain-wall motion, strengthen the pinning effect, and result in a “harder” performance. Moreover, the high asymmetry caused by large lattice distortion, regulates the piezoelectric properties. The sample shows the optimal performance when the PMT content is 0.09, with d₃₃ = 430 pC/N, Q_m = 1740, T_C = 258 °C, ε_r = 1740, tanδ = 0.16 %, P_r = 44.5μC/cm², and k_p = 0.569.