Thermal shock resistance and crack growth behavior of Aurivillius phase Bi4Ti3O12-based ferroelectric ceramics

Abstract A type of W/Cr co-doped Bi4Ti3O12 (ab. BTWC) ceramics were synthesized utilizing the traditional solid-state reaction process, and its thermal shock resistance (TSR) as well as the crack growth behavior was systematically investigated by water quenching technology. It can be found by the succeeded fractographic analysis that many edge thermal cracks began to appear in the samples subjected to thermal shock with ΔT ​= ​400 ​°C. According to an integrated TSR model, the critical thermal-shock temperature difference Δ T C was calculated to be 356 ​°C. Moreover, it can be noticed that the indenter induced crack growth behaviors under thermal shock loads presented three stages, i.e. no growth, large growth, and moderate growth, along with ΔT increasing from 0 ​°C to 700 ​°C. Finally, the asymmetry of P-E hysteresis loops was observed and understood by the orientated polarization of defect dipoles after the sample was thermally shocked, while the water-quenching process above the Curie temperature of the ceramics could lead to a random orientation of the defect dipoles. This research can not only evaluate the service conditions of Bi4Ti3O12 high-temperature piezoceramics, but also understand the failure mechanism of bismuth layer structured ferroelectric ceramics in the case of thermal shock.