Piezoelectric/photoluminescence effects in rare-earth doped lead-free ceramics

In the present work, we report the environmentally-friendly multifunctional effects—piezoelectric/photoluminescence effects, which originated from the combination of the electromechanical properties and the photoluminescence effect through introducing the rare-earth elements (Pr and Eu) into the (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–BaTiO3 ceramics with the composition around the morphotropic phase boundary. Compared to the pure piezoelectric ceramic, the proposed system simultaneously exhibited enhanced ferroelectric, piezoelectric, dielectric properties along with strong photoluminescence effects, which exhibited potential applications in sensor, and electro-mechano-optical integration. In addition, the present work also provides a promising path for us to fabricate multifunctional composites.