Enhanced Piezoelectric and Ferroelectric Properties of Nb ₂ O ₅ Modified Lead Zirconate Titanate‐Based Composites

<jats:p> <jats:bold> The addition of ZnO nanowhiskers (ZnO <jats:sub>w</jats:sub> ) in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) matrices results in reinforced composite materials but deteriorates their electrical properties. In this study, novel piezoelectric PZT/ZnO <jats:sub>w</jats:sub> composites modified with Nb <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O <jats:sub>5</jats:sub> were successfully fabricated using solid‐state sintering method. The experimental results showed that the addition of 0.5 wt% Nb <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O <jats:sub>5</jats:sub> resulted in highly dense and homogenous PZT composites after sintering at 1150°C, with good piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties similar to pure PZT, specifically piezoelectric constant <jats:italic>d</jats:italic> <jats:sub>33</jats:sub> =665 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor <jats:italic>k</jats:italic> <jats:sub>p</jats:sub> =0.7, relative dielectric constant ɛ=5048, and remnant polarization <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> <jats:sub>r</jats:sub> =30.2 μC/cm <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> . The “soft effect” of Nb <jats:sup>5+</jats:sup> ions, reflected in the improvement of the aforementioned properties, is attributed to the accommodation of Nb <jats:sup>5+</jats:sup> ions at the B sites of the lattice of PZT. Compared with the PZT/ZnO <jats:sub>w</jats:sub> reinforced composites, the mechanical properties were slightly improved by adding 0.5 wt% Nb <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O <jats:sub>5</jats:sub> , where flexural strength σ <jats:sub>f</jats:sub> of 128 MPa and fracture toughness <jats:italic>K</jats:italic> <jats:sub> I <jats:italic>C</jats:italic> </jats:sub> of 1.46 MPa·m <jats:sup>1/2</jats:sup> were measured. </jats:bold> </jats:p>