Abstract: There is provided a lead- and potassium-free piezoelectric material having a high piezoelectric constant and a satisfactory insulation property and a piezoelectric element that includes the piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material contains a perovskite-type metal oxide having the general formula (1): (NaxBa1-y)(NbyTi1-y)O3 (wherein x satisfies 0.80?x?0.95, and y satisfies 0.85?y?0.95); and at least one rare-earth element selected from La, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu, wherein the rare-earth element content is more than 0 mol % and 5 mol % or less of the amount of perovskite-type metal oxide. The piezoelectric element includes the piezoelectric material.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material that does not contain lead and has excellent and stable piezoelectric properties in a device operating temperature range is provided. The present invention for this purpose is a piezoelectric material including a main component containing a perovskite metal oxide represented by following general formula (1), a first auxiliary component containing Mn, and a second auxiliary component containing Bi charge-disproportionated into trivalent and pentavalent, wherein an amount of the contained Mn is 0.0020 moles or more and 0.0150 moles or less relative to 1 mole of the metal oxide, and an amount of the contained Bi is 0.0004 moles or more and 0.0085 moles or less relative to 1 mole of the metal oxide. Baa(Ti1-xZrx)O3??(1) (where 0.020?x?0.130 and 0.996?a?1.030).

Abstract: A dust removal apparatus includes a vibrating plate, a piezoelectric element, a power supply that applies the piezoelectric element with an alternating voltage; and a control circuit that changes a frequency of the alternating voltage, in which the piezoelectric element includes first and second electrodes and a piezoelectric material, a phase transition temperature T from a first crystal phase to a second crystal phase of the piezoelectric material is ?40° C.?T?85° C., the change of the frequency is for repeating a frequency sweep operation from a first frequency to a second frequency, and when a frequency at which an audible vibration is generated during the sweep operation is set as fns, a frequency at which the audible vibration is ended is set as fne, and a changing time from fns to fne during the sweep operation is set as ?tn, ?tn?10 ms is satisfied.

Abstract: There is provided a lead-free piezoelectric material having a high and stable piezoelectric constant and mechanical quality factor in a wide operating temperature range. A piezoelectric material mainly composed of a perovskite type metal oxide having the general formula (1), wherein manganese is incorporated in the metal oxide, and the Mn content is 0.12 parts by weight or more and 0.40 parts by weight or less on a metal basis per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide. (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-y-zSnyZrz)O3??(1) (1.00?a?1.01, 0.125?x?0.300, 0<y?0.020, and 0.041?z?0.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material contains a main component containing a perovskite-type metal oxide having the formula (1); a first auxiliary component composed of Mn; and a second auxiliary component composed of Bi or Bi and Li, wherein the Mn content is 0.04 parts by weight or more and 0.400 parts by weight or less on a metal basis per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide, the Bi content is 0.042 parts by weight or more and 0.850 parts by weight or less on a metal basis per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide, and the Li content is 0.028 parts by weight or less (including 0 parts by weight) on a metal basis per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide. (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-y-zSnyZrz)O3??(1) (wherein 0?x?0.080, 0.013?y?0.060, 0?z?0.040, and 0.986?a?1.020.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric material portion. The piezoelectric material portion is made of a piezoelectric ceramic that includes a perovskite-type metal oxide including barium titanate and Mn and that has residual polarization. The piezoelectric material portion has a measurement surface extending in a direction that crosses a direction of the residual polarization of the piezoelectric ceramic, and, after the measurement surface has been polished to have a surface roughness of 200 nm or less, the measurement surface has a (002)/(200) X-ray diffraction intensity ratio of 1.0 or more at room temperature. A ratio c/a of a c-axis lattice constant c to an a-axis lattice constant a of the piezoelectric ceramic at room temperature satisfies 1.004?c/a?1.010. A half-width of a (002) diffraction peak of the measurement surface at room temperature is 1.2° or less.

Abstract: A piezoelectric ceramic includes a perovskite-type metal oxide containing barium titanate, and Mn. When a surface thereof along the remanent polarization direction is subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis at room temperature, the ratio of the diffraction intensity of the (002) plane to the diffraction intensity of the (200) plane is 1.0 or more, the diffraction peak of the (002) plane has a half width of 1.2° or less, and the lattice constant of the c-axis thereof and the lattice constant of the a-axis thereof satisfy the relationship 1.004?c/a?1.010.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric material portion. The piezoelectric material portion is made of a piezoelectric ceramic that includes a perovskite-type metal oxide including barium titanate and Mn and that has residual polarization. The piezoelectric material portion has a measurement surface extending in a direction that crosses a direction of the residual polarization of the piezoelectric ceramic, and, after the measurement surface has been polished to have a surface roughness of 200 nm or less, the measurement surface has a (002)/(200) X-ray diffraction intensity ratio of 1.0 or more at room temperature. A ratio c/a of a c-axis lattice constant c to an a-axis lattice constant a of the piezoelectric ceramic at room temperature satisfies 1.004?c/a?1.010. A half-width of a (002) diffraction peak of the measurement surface at room temperature is 1.2° or less.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics that can achieve both high piezoelectric performance and a high Curie temperature. Also provided are a piezoelectric element, a liquid discharge head, an ultrasonic motor, and a dust removing device, which use the piezoelectric ceramics. The piezoelectric ceramics include a perovskite-type metal oxide expressed by a general formula (1): xBaTiO3-yBiFeO3-zBi(M0.5Ti0.5)O3, where M represents at least one type of element selected from the group consisting of Mg and Ni, x satisfies 0.40?x?0.80, y satisfies 0?y?0.30, z satisfies 0.05?z?0.60, and x+y+z=1 is satisfied, and are oriented in a (111) plane in a pseudocubic expression.

Abstract: Provided is a Bi-based piezoelectric material having good piezoelectric properties. The piezoelectric material includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1): Ax(ZnjTi(1-j))l(MgkTi(1-k))mMnO3??General formula (1) where: A represents a Bi element, or one or more kinds of elements selected from the group consisting of trivalent metal elements and containing at least a Bi element; M represents at least one kind of an element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Al, Sc, Mn, Y, Ga, and Yb; and 0.9?x?1.25, 0.4?j?0.6, 0.4?k?0.6, 0.09?l?0.49, 0.19?m?0.64, 0.13?n?0.48, and l+m+n=1 are satisfied.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material including a barium bismuth niobate-based tungsten bronze structure metal oxide having a high degree of orientation is provided. A piezoelectric element, a liquid discharge head, an ultrasonic motor, and a dust cleaning device including the piezoelectric material are also provided. A piezoelectric material includes a tungsten bronze structure metal oxide that includes metal elements which are barium, bismuth, and niobium, and tungsten. The metal elements satisfy following conditions on a molar basis: when Ba/Nb=a, 0.30?a?0.40, and when Bi/Nb=b, 0.012?b?0.084. The tungsten content on a metal basis is 0.40 to 3.00 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the tungsten bronze structure metal oxide. The tungsten bronze structure metal oxide has a c-axis orientation.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material contains a main component containing a perovskite-type metal oxide having the formula (1); a first auxiliary component composed of Mn; and a second auxiliary component composed of Bi or Bi and Li, wherein the Mn content is 0.04 parts by weight or more and 0.400 parts by weight or less on a metal basis per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide, the Bi content is 0.042 parts by weight or more and 0.850 parts by weight or less on a metal basis per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide, and the Li content is 0.028 parts by weight or less (including 0 parts by weight) on a metal basis per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide. (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-y-zSnyZrz)O3??(1) (wherein 0?x?0.080, 0.013?y?0.060, 0?z?0.040, and 0.986?a?1.020.

Abstract: A vibration apparatus includes a vibrating body that includes a piezoelectric material having a lead content of less than 1000 ppm, and has an electromechanical energy converting element having an electrode; and a control unit that applies at least two driving voltages to the electromechanical energy converting element, and generates a combined vibration by providing a time phase difference to the vibrating body and generating multiple stable waves having mutually different orders; wherein the control unit changes at least one of the voltage amplitude ratio and time phase difference of at least two driving voltages, so as to change the amplitude distribution of the combined vibration.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material including a strontium calcium sodium niobate-based tungsten bronze structure metal oxide having a high degree of orientation is provided. A piezoelectric element, a liquid discharge head, an ultrasonic motor, and a dust cleaning device including the piezoelectric material are also provided. A piezoelectric material includes a tungsten bronze structure metal oxide that includes metal elements which are strontium, calcium, sodium, and niobium, and tungsten. The metal elements satisfy following conditions on a molar basis: when Sr/Nb=a, 0.320?a?0.430, when Ca/Nb=b, 0.008?b?0.086, and when Na/Nb=c, 0.180?c?0.200. The tungsten content on a metal basis is 0.40 to 3.20 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the tungsten bronze structure metal oxide. The tungsten bronze structure metal oxide has a c-axis orientation.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric material having high Curie temperature, high insulation property, and high piezoelectric performance, the piezoelectric material including a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1): xBaTiO3-yBiFeO3-zBi(M0.5Ti0.5)O3, where M represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ni, and Zn, x represents a value satisfying 0.25?x?0.75, y represents a value satisfying 0.15?y?0.73, and z represents a value satisfying 0.02?z?0.60, provided that x+y+z=1 is satisfied in which the perovskite-type metal oxide contains V, and content of the V is 0.0005 mol or larger and 0.0050 mol or smaller with respect to 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide. In addition, provided are a piezoelectric element, a liquid discharge head, an ultrasonic motor, and a dust removing device, which use the piezoelectric material.

Abstract: The piezoelectric element includes, on a substrate: a piezoelectric film; and a pair of electrodes provided in contact with the piezoelectric film; in which the piezoelectric film contains a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1) as a main component: Ax(ZnjTi(1-j))l(MgkTi(1-k))mMnO3??General Formula (1) wherein the perovskite-type metal oxide is uniaxially (111)-oriented in pseudo-cubic notation in a thickness direction, of the pair of electrodes, a lower electrode provided on the substrate side is a multilayer electrode including at least a first electrode layer in contact with the substrate and a second electrode layer in contact with the piezoelectric film, and the second electrode layer is a perovskite-type metal oxide electrode which is uniaxially (111)-oriented in pseudo-cubic notation in a thickness direction.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material contains a perovskite oxynitride expressed by the General Formula: (Ba1-xSrx)(Ti1-3z(Nb1-yTay)3z)(O1-wNw)3. In the formula, x, y, z and w are numerical values satisfying the relationships: 0?x?1, 0?y?1, 0<z<<?, and 0<w?z. Also, z can be 0.1?z?0.2. The piezoelectric material may be in the form of a film having a thickness in the range of 200 nm to 10 ?m that is disposed on a substrate. The perovskite oxynitride may have a tetragonal crystal structure.

Abstract: A sodium niobate powder includes sodium niobate particles having a shape of a cuboid and having a side average length of 0.1 ?m or more and 100 ?m or less, wherein at least one face of each of the sodium niobate particles is a (100) plane in the pseudocubic notation and a moisture content of the sodium niobate powder is 0.15 mass % or less. A method for producing a ceramic using the sodium niobate powder is provided. A method for producing a sodium niobate powder includes a step of holding an aqueous alkali dispersion liquid containing a niobium component and a sodium component at a pressure exceeding 0.1 MPa, a step of isolating a solid matter from the aqueous dispersion liquid after the holding, and a step of heat treating the solid matter at 500° C. to 700° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lead-free piezoelectric material having a high piezoelectric constant and a high mechanical quality factor in a wide operating temperature range. The piezoelectric material includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by Formula (1): (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-yZry)O3 (1.00?a?1.01, 0.125?x<0.155, and 0.041?y?0.074) as a main component. The metal oxide contains Mn in a content of 0.12 parts by weight or more and 0.40 parts by weight or less based on 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide on a metal basis.

Abstract: Provided is a lead-free piezoelectric material having satisfactory piezoelectric constant and mechanical quality factor in a device driving temperature range (?30° C. to 50° C.) The piezoelectric material includes a main component containing a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by Formula 1, a first auxiliary component composed of Mn, and a second auxiliary component composed of Bi or Bi and Li. The content of Mn is 0.040 parts by weight or more and 0.500 parts by weight or less based on 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide on a metal basis. The content of Bi is 0.042 parts by weight or more and 0.850 parts by weight or less and the content of Li is 0.028 parts by weight or less (including 0 parts by weight) based on 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide on a metal basis. (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-yZry)O3 . . . (1), wherein, 0.030?x<0.090, 0.030?y?0.080, and 0.9860?a?1.0200.