Beyond MPB engineering: enhanced piezoelectricity and thermal stability assisted by high-entropy design.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42034604.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-72335-6.
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Abstract
The pursuit of ferroelectric materials that combine a high piezoelectric response with robust thermal stability remains a paramount challenge. We introduce a strategy that integrates morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) engineering with high-entropy (HE) design in a novel quinary Pb(Yb<sub>1/2</sub>Nb<sub>1/2</sub>)O<sub>3</sub>-Pb(Zn<sub>1/3</sub>Nb<sub>2/3</sub>)O<sub>3</sub>-Pb(Fe<sub>1/2</sub>Nb<sub>1/2</sub>)O<sub>3</sub>-PbZrO<sub>3</sub>-PbTiO<sub>3</sub> (PYN-PZN-PFN-PZ-PT) perovskite ceramic. Compared to a medium-entropy counterpart, the high-entropy composition yields a superior piezoelectric coefficient of 580 pC/N and exceptional thermal stability, with performance retained up to 285 °C. This enhancement arises from two synergistic effects of the HE design: a stabilized, flattened free-energy landscape that promotes a favorable nanoscale domain structure and improves depolarization behavior, together with higher electrical resistivity (10<sup>12</sup> Ω·cm at 250 °C) arising from HE-driven grain refinement and suppressed charge transport. This work demonstrates that HE design serves as an effective strategy to mitigate the traditional trade-off between piezoelectric response and depolarization temperature in Pb-based relaxor ferroelectrics.