Bi3TeBO9: A Borate Piezoelectric Crystal with a High Piezoelectric Coefficient

The borate piezoelectric crystal Bi3TeBO9 (BTBO) was successfully grown by the top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) method. Frequency-dependent polarization measurements reveal that BTBO is not ferroelectric. Under the combined effects of high dielectric (ε33 = 62.60) and elastic constants (s33 = 15.33 pm2/N), BTBO exhibits a high longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient d33 of 24.4 pC/N, which is larger than that of LiNbO3 (LN) and second only to α-BiB3O6 (BIBO) among known borate crystals. First-principles calculations and structural analysis indicate that the piezoelectric properties of BTBO mainly originate from the strong lattice polarization induced by the [BiO6] and [TeO6] groups. Additionally, the temperature dependence of the piezoelectric coefficient and electrical resistivity was also measured. The results suggest that BTBO is a potential candidate for piezoelectric applications with its high piezoelectric coefficient, resistivity, and piezoelectric temperture stability.