•The Er3+ doped (Ba0.97Ca0.03)(Sn0.06Ti0.94)O3 ceramic was synthesized.•The 525 nm luminescent peak is sensitive to the ferroelectric Curie transition.•It provides a noncontact and optical way to indicate the ferroelectric transition.Er3+-doped ferroelectric (Ba0.97Ca0.03)(Sn0.06Ti0.94)O3 (BCST-Er) ceramic, with a Curie temperature (Tc) of ~353 K, was prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction technique. The temperature dependence on up-conversion emissions of BCST-Er ceramic was investigated. It is experimentally observed that the maximum 525 nm luminescent emission occurred near the Tc. Consequently, this result provides a noncontact way to indicate the ferroelectric Curie phase transition.

•Stress-induced ferroelectric depolarization was experimentally observed.•A theoretical analysis was done to simulate the ferroelectric loop under stress.•The result is useful for application of ferroelectric devices in stress environment.It is experimentally and theoretically found that the uniaxial compressive stress (σ) can lead to the decrease of both the ferroelectric remanent polarization (Pr) and the coercive field (Ec) of <001>-oriented 0.72Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.28PbTiO3 crystal. With the increase of σ from 0 to −15 MPa at 50 °C, Pr decreases from 20.69 μC/cm2 to 17.30 μC/cm2 and Ec decreases from 2.19 kV/cm to 1.89 kV/cm, respectively. A numerical simulation based on a phenomenological Landau-Khalatnikov theory is used to plot the polarization hysteresis loop under σ. The result of numerical simulation agrees with the experimental observation very well. The research is useful for the application of ferroelectric devices in strain engineering.

•Photoluminescence can indicate composition of (Ba1−xCax)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3:Er3+.•It was attributed to the high hypersensitivity of Er3+ to the lattice symmetry.•It provides a noncontact and quick way to indicate the composition change.This paper reports that Er3+-doped (0.5 mol%) lead-free (Ba1−xCax)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 dense ceramics, synthesized via a sol–gel synthesis route and a ceramic sintering process, possess excellent photoluminescence performance, which is sensitive to compositional changes. The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) of (Ba1−xCax)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 was found to be located at x=0.15 based on experimental dependence curves of dielectric and piezoelectric constants on x. The photoluminescence dependence on the compositional changes at MPB was also investigated. The study revealed that on increasing x from 0.05 to 0.30, the photoluminescence peak intensity at 550 nm first increased and then decreased, giving to an extreme value at x=0.15. The strong dependence of photoluminescence on x was attributed to the high hypersensitivity of Er3+ to lattice symmetry.

•A magnetostrictive/piezoelectric drum was fabricated for hydrogen detection.•The concentration of H2 responds linearly to the shift of the resonance frequency.•It provided for the physical detection of H2.A magnetostrictive/piezoelectric drum magnetoelectric transducer has been fabricated for H2 detection. Due to the difference in the acoustic wave velocity for H2 (1284 m/s) and air (331 m/s), the resonance frequency of the magnetoelectric coupling effect will shift when H2 gas enters the drum cavity filled with air. A good linear relationship between the resonance frequency shift (Δf) and the volume fraction of H2 (n%) is observed. The resolution on the H2 volume fraction of our magnetoelectric drum detector was experimentally observed as ∼0.25%. The detection coefficient (Δf/n) for H2 volume fraction of our ME drum transducer is approximately equal to ∼0.48 kHz. The magnetoelectric drum is hopeful for H2 physical detection.