Preparation and characterization of new Pb(Yb_1/2Nb _1/2)O₃-Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O ₃-PbTiO₃ ternary piezo-/ferroelectric crystals

Piezo-/ferroelectric crystals of a new Pb(Yb_1/2Nb _1/2)O₃-Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O ₃-PbTiO₃ ternary solid solution system with the dimensions of 30 × 30 × 12 mm³ have been grown by the top-seeded solution growth method for the first time. The crystal structure is analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction at various temperature. The composition of the grown crystals is found to be near the ternary morphotropic phase boundary. The Curie temperature T_C reaches 205 °C. The piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ and the longitudinal electromechanical coupling factor k ₃₃ are found to be 1800 pC/N and 90%, respectively. A remanent polarization Pr of 27.8 μC/cm² is displayed with a coercive field E_c of about 7 kV/cm. These results show that the PYMNT crystals exhibit a higher T_C and a larger coercive field than the binary PMN-PT piezocrystals, making this material a promising candidate for high-power electromechanical transducers that can operate in a wider temperature range.