Tape casting of Lead-free multilayer structured ceramics with high piezoelectric strain

Multilayer piezoelectric ceramic that converts an electrical signal into a physical displacement are widely used as actuators in high-precision control sectors in automotive, aerospace, healthcare, and others. Currently, the piezoelectric actuator market is dominated by lead-containing multilayer structured ceramics.

However, legislation on the usage of lead materials has promoted the search for environmentally friendly alternatives.

While lead-free potassium sodium niobate (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) based materials have relatively large piezoelectricity, their piezoelectric performance can be further improved by compositional and structural optimisation.

This project aims to develop high performance KNN-based multilayer ceramics through materials design and manufacturing, to replace current lead-containing ceramic actuators.