Piezoelectric and electromechanical synergic optimization in MnCO₃-modified lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate titanate ceramics for high-power antenna

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-based piezoelectric ceramics are crucial components in high-power magnetoelectric (ME) antenna devices, contributing to the miniaturization of very low frequency (VLF) communication systems. The piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃) and mechanical quality factor (Q_m) determine the quality of the radiation performance of the antenna device and, therefore, play a pivotal role in antenna preparation and selection. However, achieving high values for both d₃₃ and Q_m simultaneously proves challenging, as these properties often tend to compete with each other. Herein, we address this challenge by introducing MnCO₃-modified lead magnesium niobate (PMN)-PZT piezoelectric ceramics, leveraging elements doping to achieve a well-balanced performance, where the d₃₃ was optimized to 530 pC/N, while concurrently attaining a Q_m of 624, being attributed to the synergistic contributions from the defect dipole and lead vacancies. Notably, the PMN-PZT-based antenna device exhibits a significantly enhanced converse ME coefficient α_CME = 0.138 Oe·cm/V, which improves the antenna emission performance by about 25% compared to commercial PZT-4 samples. These findings offer a promising theoretical foundation and a feasible technical pathway for the development and design of ME antennas in the future.