Enhanced Piezoelectricity, Coercive Field, and Electrostrain in Sm-Doped Pb(Zn _1/3 Nb _2/3 )O ₃ –PbTiO ₃ Ferroelectric Crystals

Relaxor ferroelectrics with a large piezoelectric coefficient (d33), sizable coercive field (EC), and high signal piezoelectric coefficient (d33*) are of particular importance in technology. Due to the trade-off between domain switching and high energy barriers, materials of this kind are rather rare, and the discovery and design of such materials remain a challenging task. Here, we successfully grew Sm0.01Pb0.985[(Zn1/3Nb2/3)0.93Ti0.07]O3 (Sm–PZN–PT) crystals with a high d33 value of 2930 pC/N (up to 3032 pC/N at 150 °C) and a significantly enhanced EC value of 12.3 kV/cm, representing a 100% improvement compared with previously reported Sm–PZN–PT crystals. The large signal piezoelectric coefficient (d33*) values reached 5130 pm/V. Notably, it exhibits remarkable thermal stability with <2% piezoelectric performance fluctuation up to 150 °C. Through multiscale structural analyses, we have elucidated the enhancement mechanisms governing the respective indexes. This rare-earth doping paradigm opens new avenues for developing high-performance ferroelectrics with exceptional field tolerance and multifunctional integration capabilities.