In this study, an attempt was made to approximate the main characteristic values of Bi0.5(Na0.78K0.22)0.5TiO3 (= BNKT) depending on the content of Fe2O3 additives, aiming to approach the values of lead(Pb) piezoelectric ceramic materials (PZT). Specifically, when the piezoelectric coefficient (d33) value of lead(Pb) piezoelectric ceramic material (PZT polycrystalline ceramic powder) is 300[pC/N] or higher, it is applied for hard purposes such as ultrasonic welding machines and cleaning machines, and when it exceeds 330[pC/N], it is applied for soft purposes like piezoelectric sensors. In this study, research and development were conducted for devices with a piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of 300[pC/N] or more for actuators. For this purpose, K+ exceeding 0.02 to 0.12 mol% was added to (Na0.78K0.22)0.5Bi0.5TiO3 to analyze structural changes due to K+ excess, and (Na0.78K0.22)0.5Bi0.5TiO3 + 8mol% K2CO3 Ti4+ was substituted with Fe3+ to manufacture lead-free piezoelectric materials. As a result, ceramics with Fe3+ substitution at x = 0.0075 yielded an average value of d33 = 315[pC/N]. Furthermore, for ceramics with Fe3+ substitution at x = 0.0075, the average values of maximum polarization (Pmax), residual polarization (Prem), and coercive field (Ec) were found to be 39.63 μC/cm2, 30.45 μC/cm2, and 2.50 kV/mm, respectively. The reliable characteristic values obtained from the research results can be applied to linear actuator components (such as the zoom function of mobile cameras, LDM for skin care, etc.) and ultrasonic vibration components.

The demand for ceramic brackets, which have a high aesthetic purpose due to their high light transmission is increasing due to the application of poly-crystalline alumina material. Brackets using this material require stable properties that should not fracture during the treatment period. In this paper, the fracture strength of a ceramic bracket made of the same material used in clinical practice was checked by applying torque with a square stainless steel wire. The wire used in the test was prepared with cross-section sizes of 017 inch ✕ 025 inch, 018 inch ✕ 025 inch, and 019 inch ✕ 025 inch. There were a total of 150 bracket specimens and after ligating wires in the slots, torque was applied to each of 75 specimens in the gingival and occlusal directions. The torque test used digital torque meter equipment and the torque value at which the bracket slot fractured due to plastic deformation of the ligated wire was confirmed. Based on the resulting data we plan to use the data to recommend stable torque use and develop future bracket design.

In this study, we investigated the microstructure and piezoelectric properties of 0.96(K0.456Na0.536)Nb0.95Sb0.05-0.04 Bi0.5(Na0.82K0.18)0.5ZrO3 (KNNS-BNKZ) ceramics based on one-step and two-step sintering processes. One-step sintering led to significant abnormal grain (AG) growth at temperatures above 1,085 °C. With increasing sintering temperature, piezoelectric and dielectric properties were enhanced, resulting in a high d33 = 506 pC/N for one-step specimen sintered at 1,100 °C (one-step 1,100 °C specimen). However, for one-step 1,115 °C specimen, a slight decrease in d33 was observed, emphasizing the importance of a high tetragonal (T) phase fraction for superior piezoelectric properties. Achieving a relative density above 84 % for samples sintered by the one-step sintering process was challenging. Conversely, two-step sintering significantly improved the relative density of KNNS-BNKZ ceramics up to 96 %, attributed to the control of AG nucleation in the first step and grain growth rate control in the second step. The quantity of AG nucleation was affected by the duration of the first step, determining the final microstructure. Despite having a lower T phase fraction than that of the one-step 1,100 °C specimen, the two-step specimen exhibited higher piezoelectric coefficients (d33 = 574 pC/N and kp = 0.5) than those of the one-step 1,100 °C specimen due to its higher relative density. Performance evaluation of magnetoelectric composite devices composed of one-step and twostep specimens showed that despite having a higher g33, the magnetoelectric composite with the one-step 1,100 °C specimen exhibited the lowest magnetoelectric voltage coefficient, due to its lowest kp. This study highlights the essential role of phase fraction and relative density in enhancing the performance of piezoelectric materials and devices, showcasing the effectiveness of the two-step sintering process for controlling the microstructure of ceramic materials containing volatile elements.

The sintering shrinkage behaviors of low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) and resistors were compared using commercial LTCC and thick-film resistor pastes, and factors influencing the camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers were also investigated. The onset of sintering shrinkage of the resistor occurred earlier than that of LTCC in all resistors, but the end of sintering shrinkage of the resistor occurred earlier or later than that of LTCC depending on the composition of the resistor. The sintering shrinkage end temperature and the sintering shrinkage temperature interval of the resistor increased as the RuO2/glass volume ratio of the resistor increased. The camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers was obtained using three different methods, all of which showed nearly identical trends. The camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers was not affected by either the difference in linear shrinkage strain after sintering between LTCC and resistors or the similarity of sintering shrinkage temperature ranges of LTCC and resistors. However, it was strongly affected by the RuO2/glass volume ratio of the resistor. The content of Ag and Pd had no effect on the sintering shrinkage end temperature or sintering shrinkage temperature interval of the resistor, or on the camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers.

Lead-free perovskite ceramics, which have excellent energy storage capabilities, are attracting attention owing to their high power density and rapid charge-discharge speed. Given that the energy-storage properties of perovskite ceramic capacitors are significantly improved by doping with various elements, modifying their chemical compositions is a fundamental strategy. This study investigated the effect of Zn doping on the microstructure and energy storage performance of potassium sodium niobate (KNN)-based ceramics. Two types of powders and their corresponding ceramics with compositions of (1-x)(K,Na)NbO3-xBi(Ni2/3Ta1/3)O3 (KNN-BNT) and (1-x)(K,Na)NbO3-xBi(Ni1/3Zn1/3Ta1/3) O3 (KNN-BNZT) were prepared via solid-state reactions. The results indicate that Zn doping retards grain growth, resulting in smaller grain sizes in Zn-doped KNN-BNZT than in KNN-BNT ceramics. Moreover, the Zn-doped KNNBNZT ceramics exhibited superior energy storage density and efficiency across all x values. Notably, 0.9KNN-0.1BNZT ceramics demonstrate an energy storage density and efficiency of 0.24 J/cm3 and 96%, respectively. These ceramics also exhibited excellent temperature and frequency stability. This study provides valuable insights into the design of KNNbased ceramic capacitors with enhanced energy storage capabilities through doping strategies.

The effects of La3+ substitution for Sr2+-site on the crystal structure and the dielectric properties of (Ba0.7Sr0.3-3x/2Lax) (Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 (BSLTZ) (0.005 ≤ x ≤ 0.02) ceramics were investigated. The structural characteristics of the BSLTZ ceramics were quantitatively evaluated using the Rietveld refinement method from X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. For the specimens sintered at 1,550 °C for 6 h, a single phase with a perovskite structure and homogeneous microstructure were observed for the entire range of compositions. With increasing La3+ substitution (x), the unit cell volume decreased because the ionic size of La3+ (1.36 Å) ions is smaller than that of Sr2+ (1.44 Å) ions. With increasing La3+ substitution (x), the tetragonal phase fraction increased due to the A-site cation size mismatch effect. Dielectric constant (εr) increased with the La3+ substitution (x) due to the increase in tetragonality (c/a) and the average B-site bond valence of the ABO3 perovskite. The BSLTZ ceramics showed a higher dielectric loss due to the smaller grain size than that of (Ba0.7Sr0.3)(Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 ceramics. BSLTZ (x = 0.02) ceramics met the X7R specification proposed by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA).

Fouling is an inevitable problem in membrane water treatment plant. It can be measured by trans-membrane pressure (TMP) in the constant flux operation, and chemical cleaning is carried out when TMP reaches a critical value. An early fouilng alarm is defined as warning the critical TMP value appearance in advance. The alarming method was developed using one of machine learning algorithms, decision tree, and applied to a ceramic microfiltration (MF) pilot plant. First, the decision tree model that classifies the normal/abnormal state of the filtration cycle of the ceramic MF pilot plant was developed and it was then used to make the early fouling alarm method. The accuracy of the classification model was up to 96.2% and the time for the early warning was when abnormal cycles occurred three times in a row. The early fouling alram can expect reaching a limit TMP in advance (e.g., 15-174 hours). By adopting TMP increasing rate and backwash efficiency as machine learning variables, the model accuracy and the reliability of the early fouling alarm method were increased, respectively.