In this study, the time-dependent electromechanical response of lead-free piezoceramic 0.93(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3–0.07BaTiO3 to the applied electrical field was investigated. Large creep behavior was observed in both the polarization and the strain response, which can be attributed to the transition from a nonergodic relaxor to a state with a long-range ferroelectric order. This transition under a constant electric loading is a gradual process with a cascade behavior, observed under electric fields ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 kV/mm. The critical electric field to trigger this cascade effect was found to be approximately 1.15 kV/mm. This phenomenon indicates that the electric field-induced state transition is similar to a “self-catalyzed” behavior that depends on both the magnitude of electric loading and the holding time. Following the creep experiment, the electromechanical behavior was characterized to determine the completeness of the relaxor-ferroelectric transition.
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