Texture - Property relationships in Bi-layered ferroelectric ceramics: A case study of SrBi₂Ta₂O₉

A quantitative model for the calculation of spontaneous polarization of BLSF ceramics as a function of the degree of texture is presented using a general formalism based on the texture analysis via an orientation distribution function. The March-Dollase equation was selected to fit the measured texture distribution because its fitting parameters can be related to experimentally measurable stereological values obtained from SEM images. The results are applied to the SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) system, which is a well-known member of the BLSF family. The textured SBT ceramics were fabricated by templated grain growth (TGG) and the microstructure and degree of texture were evaluated by SEM analysis, which allowed correlating the texture development to the sintering parameters. Enhanced ferroelectric properties were measured perpendicularly to the uniaxial pressing direction of the ceramics, revealing the influence of the grains orientation, anisotropy and volume fraction of textured material on the ferroelectric properties. Finally, the predicted values for the spontaneous polarization as a function of the degree of texture were compared with those measured from the hysteresis loops.