A Novel Hybrid Method of Sol–Gel and Ultrasonic Atomization Synthesis and Piezoelectric Properties of SrBi4Ti4O15 Ceramics.

SrBi4Ti4O15(SBTi) powders were synthesized by a novel hybrid method of sol–gel and ultrasonic atomization. TiO2 particle was used as a starting material to replace other expensive soluble titanium salts. X-ray diffraction results showed that the pure-phase SBTi powders were obtained at 700°C for 2 h, which is much lower than the calcination temperature (800°–850°C) required in solid-state reactions. The ceramics sintered at 1100°C for 1 h exhibited 94.5% of relative density and a piezoelectric coefficient of 21 pC/N. The results showed that this hybrid method could lead to an attractive method for the industrial fabrication of SBTi materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]