The 0.975[0.72Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.28PbTiO3]-0.025Eu2O3 ceramics were prepared by a two-step sintering process including oxygen sintering and hot-pressing. An ultrahigh piezoelectric charge coefficient of 1400 pC/N and a superior optical transmittance up to 68% were simultaneously achieved. The underlying mechanism was discussed from a microstructural perspective, where the watermark domain configuration with a small domain size is responsible for the high optical transmission, while the large remanent polarization and dielectric constant and the introduced tetragonal phase with a parallel stripe domain structure are believed to synergistically contribute to the high piezoelectric coefficients. This work demonstrates that the rare-earth dopant in the PMN-PT ceramic system is conducive to enhanced transparency and piezoelectricity.
Keywords: Eu; PMN-PT; ceramics; piezoelectric; transparent.