Crystallographic texture engineering through templated grain growth (TGG) has gained prominence as a highly effective strategy for optimizing the electromechanical performance of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics, offering a pathway toward sustainable alternatives to lead-based systems like lead zirconate titanate (PZT). By achieving high degrees of texture, with Lotgering factors (LFs) often exceeding 90%, these systems have demonstrated piezoelectric properties that rival or even surpass their lead-based counterparts. Despite these advancements, the field lacks a comprehensive understanding of how specific template parameters influence the texture quality and functional properties across different material systems. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the influence of the template morphology, composition, and crystallographic orientation on the texturing of key lead-free systems, including BaTiO₃ (BT), (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ (KNN), and Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ (BNT). Furthermore, it explores how the template selection affects the induced crystallographic direction, and how this impacts the material’s phase structure and domain configurations, ultimately influencing the piezoelectric and dielectric properties. By consolidating the existing knowledge and identifying current challenges, this work highlights key strategies for optimizing the texture and electromechanical performance in lead-free ceramics, providing essential insights for future research aimed at advancing high-performance, environmentally friendly piezoelectric materials for applications such as sensors, actuators, and energy-harvesting devices.

Molten salt synthesis (MSS) is a versatile route for fabricating anisotropic microcrystals used to prepare textured ceramics, but its widespread use is constrained by excessive salt consumption and the accumulation of massive waste streams. Here, we introduce a circular MSS strategy that eliminates these inefficiencies by enabling recycling of both salt and precursors. Using the two-step synthesis of BaTiO3 platelike templates as a model, we demonstrate direct recovery and reuse of the NaCl/KCl from the first-step MSS of Bi4Ti3O12 templates, together with a new chemical pathway for reclaiming bismuth from the by-products of the second-step MSS of BaTiO3 platelike templates. The recycled inputs yield BaTiO3 templates that are structurally and morphologically identical to those produced from fresh reagents, while cutting waste generation by closing the materials loop. This work establishes MSS as a sustainable, closed-loop process, advancing a circular economy framework that couples high-quality anisotropic microcrystal synthesis with drastic waste minimization.