Spark plasma sintering of grain-oriented Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 aurivillius phase ceramics

To improve dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 ceramics, highly textured, dense ceramics are required. Highly grain-oriented Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 textured ceramics were prepared by pressure-assisted spark plasma sintering. The textured ceramics exhibited crystallographic anisotropy with c-axis oriented grains (Lotgering factor of 71%). The dielectric permittivity, piezoelectric constant and ferroelectric remnant polarization measured on the ceramics in the direction perpendicular to the pressure applied during sintering are higher than those along the parallel direction. These improved properties are related to the preferred polarization rotation in the textured microstructures prepared during spark plasma sintering. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.