A morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) with temperature-independent behavior, the so-called vertical MPB was investigated in lead-free (K,Na,Li)NbO 3 -BaZrO 3 -(La,Na)TiO 3 ternary ceramic system. The specimens were synthesized by a conventional solidstate reaction method, and their crystal structures as well as their MPB were determined from X-ray diffraction patterns measured from room temperature to 300 C. The vertical MPB composition was determined to be 0.9025(K 0:45 Na 0:5 Li 0:05 ÞNbO 3 -0.09BaZrO 3 -0.0075(La,Na)TiO 3 and the Curie temperature was found to be about 195 C. It was successfully confirmed that ceramic samples of this system could be sintered in a reducing atmosphere. For lead-free piezoceramic applications of multilayer actuators using Ni inner electrodes, the results obtained in this work have important practical implications.

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