Abstract
The effects of pre-sintering conditions were investigated on the final density and texture of piezoelectric Bi0.5(Na, K)0.5TiO3 (BNKT) ceramics prepared by the reactive templated grain growth (RTGG) method. Bi4Ti3O12 (BiT) platelets were used as a reactive template for the fabrication of BNKT with a preferred <100> orientation. The application of cold isostatic pressing (CIP) after the in-situ formation of regular perovskite-type BNKT was effective to increase green density before sintering and thus to increase the final density. The CIP treatment after the completion of in-situ conversion from layered perovskite into regular perovskite, however, resulted in sintered ceramics with the lower degree of orientation. The CIP treatment after the partial in-situ formation of perovskite phase produced both dense and highly textured BNKT ceramics.
