Dielectric and magnetic properties of multiferroic BiFeO3 ceramics sintered with the powders prepared by hydrothermal method

BiFeO₃ ceramics were sintered in the temperature range of 700–900 °C by using the pure BiFeO₃ powders hydrothermally synthesized at 250 °C. The low reaction temperature and low sintering temperature prevent the element volatilization and phase decomposition. The ceramics sintered at 800 and 850 °C exhibit much dense microstructure with clear grains and grain boundaries. They also show high dielectric constant, dielectric dispersion and low loss tangent. At room temperature, the dielectric behaviors of BiFeO₃ ceramics are mainly attributed to the transition of localized charge carriers and the microstructure of grains and grain boundaries. The temperature dependence of dielectric constant and loss tangent confirms that the localized charge carriers are a main contribution to the dielectric permittivity. Activation energy E_α of relaxation process for the BiFeO₃ ceramic sintered at 850 °C is 0.397 eV. The obtained BiFeO₃ ceramics show magnetic responses, which are relative to the grain size.     

Dielectric Properties of Colossal-Dielectric-Constant Na1/2La1/2Cu3Ti4O12 Ceramics Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

In the current study, we report on the dielectric behavior of colossal-dielectric-constant Na_1/2La_1/2Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (NLCTO) ceramics prepared by mechanochemical synthesis and spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 850 °C, 900 °C, and 925 °C for 10 min. X-ray powder diffraction analysis showed that all the ceramics have a cubic phase. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed an increase in the average grain size from 175 to 300 nm with an increase in the sintering temperature. SPS NLCTO ceramics showed a room-temperature colossal dielectric constant (>10³) and a comparatively high dielectric loss (>0.1) over most of the studied frequency range (1 Hz–40 MHz). Two relaxation peaks were observed in the spectra of the electrical modulus and attributed to the response of grain and grain boundary. According to the Nyquist plots of complex impedance, the SPS NLCTO ceramics have semiconductor grains surrounded by electrically resistive grain boundaries. The colossal dielectric constant of SPS NLCTO ceramics was attributed to the internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) effect. The high dielectric loss is thought to be due to the low resistivity of the grain boundary of SPS NLCTO.     

Bi1.5ZnNb1.5O7 cubic pyrochlore ceramics prepared by aqueous solution–gel method

Bi_1.5ZnNb_1.5O₇ cubic pyrochlore ceramic was successfully prepared by the aqueous solution method. The preparation, microstructure development and dielectric properties of ceramics were investigated. Homogeneous precalcined ceramics powders have a cubic pyrochlore phase after thermal treatment at the temperature as low as 450 °C. The aqueous solution–gel method, which Bi, Zn and Nb ions are chelated to form metal complexes, leading to the formation of cubic pyrochlore phase at low firing temperatures. No detectable intermediary phase such as BiNbO₄ or pseudo-orthorhombic pyrochlore is observed in the XRD patterns of ceramics at the sintering temperature range from 850 to 1,000 °C. The dielectric properties study revealed that the ceramics sintered at 900 °C show excellent performance with dielectric constant of 111 and dielectric loss of 2.3871 × 10⁻⁴ under 1 MHz at room temperature.     

Dielectric properties of tetragonal tungsten bronze films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Tetragonal tungsten bronze (TTB) films have been synthesised on Pt(111)/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates from Ba₂LnFeNb₄O₁₅ ceramics (Ln = La, Nd, Eu) by RF magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction measurements evidenced the multi-oriented nature of films with some degrees of preferential orientation along (111). The dependence of the dielectric properties on temperature and frequency has been investigated. The dielectric properties of the films are similar to those of the bulk, i.e., ε ∼150 and σ ∼10⁻⁶ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 1 MHz and room temperature. The films exhibit two dielectric anomalies which are attributed to Maxwell Wagner polarization mechanism and relaxor behaviour. Both anomalies are sensitive to post-annealing under oxygen atmosphere and their activation energies are similar E_a ∼0.30 eV. They are explained in terms of electrically heterogeneous contributions in the films.     

Dielectric behavior and impedance analysis of lead-free CuO doped (Na0.50K0.50)0.95(Li0.05Sb0.05Nb0.95)O3 ceramics

Pure (Na_0.50K_0.50)_0.95(Li_0.05Sb_0.05Nb_0.95)O₃ (NKNLS) and CuO doped NKNLS perovskite structured ferroelectric ceramics were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. x wt% of CuO (x = 0.2–0.8 wt%) was added in the NKNLS ceramics. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that single phase was formed for pure NKNLS while a small amount of second phase (K₆Li₄Nb₁₀O₃₀ ∼ 3%) was present in Cu²⁺ doped NKNLS ceramics. Dielectric anomalies around the temperatures of 120 °C and 350 °C have been identified as the ferroelectric–paraelectric transition (orthorhombic to tetragonal and tetragonal to cubic) temperatures for pure NKNLS compound. The electrical behavior of the ceramics was studied by impedance study in the high temperature range. Impedance analysis has shown the grain and grain boundary contribution using an equivalent circuit model. The impedance response in pure and Cu²⁺ doped NKNLS ceramics could be resolved into two contributions, associated with the bulk (∼grains) and the grain boundaries. From the conductivity studies, it is found that activation energies are strongly frequency dependent. The activation energy obtained from dielectric relaxation data may be attributed to oxygen ion vacancies.     

Study of the relaxor behavior in BaTi1−xHfxO3 (0.20 ≤ x ≤ 0.30) ceramics

The influence of Hf doping on the structure and dielectric properties of BaTiO₃ has been studied. For this purpose Ba(Ti_1−xHf_x)O₃ ceramics were prepared through solid-state reaction route at close compositions, having x = 0.20, 0.22, 0.23 and 0.30. The study was aimed to locate the exact hafnium concentration for normal to relaxor crossover in these ceramics. X-ray diffraction followed by Rietveld refinement, reveals the formation of single phase with Pm3m cubic structure. Temperature and frequency dependence of real (ɛ′) and imaginary (ɛ″) parts of the dielectric permittivity have been studied in the temperature range of 90–350 K, at frequencies between 0.1 kHz and 100 kHz. The dielectric permittivity variations with temperature show deviation from Curie–Weiss behavior and strong frequency dispersion. The deviation from Curie–Weiss behavior, discontinuous jump along with the change in the slope of T_m vs Hf concentration plot, and the degree of relaxation (γ) approaching ∼2, indicate a crossover from normal to relaxor ferroelectrics. Substitution of Hf⁴⁺ for Ti⁴⁺ in BaTiO₃ introduces structural disorder, causing perturbations like local electric and strain fields. These perturbations reduce the long-range polar order resulting in relaxor behavior.     

Microstructure,dielectric and piezoelectric properties of (Pb1−xSrx)Nb1.96Ti0.05O6 ceramics

(Pb_1−xSr_x)Nb_1.96Ti_0.05O₆ with 2 wt% excess PbO (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) piezoelectric ceramics with high Curie temperature were fabricated via the conventional solid state reaction method. Effects of Sr²⁺ amount on crystallite structure, microstructure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties were studied. The substitution of Sr²⁺ ions for Pb²⁺ ions is effective to lower sintering temperatures. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that all ceramics form the single orthorhombic ferroelectric phase. The doping of Sr²⁺ ions facilitates improving densification of the ceramics. Grain size and lattice parameters of the ceramics vary with the change of the Sr²⁺ contents. Both Curie temperature and maximum dielectric constant change with increasing the Sr²⁺ amounts. The dielectric constant data were also studied using the Curie–Weiss law and modified Curie–Weiss law. The ceramic with x = 0.04 possesses excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties, presenting a high potential to be used in high-temperature applications as piezoelectric transducers.     

Microstructural Evolution and High-Performance Giant Dielectric Properties of Lu3+/Nb5+ Co-Doped TiO2 Ceramics

Giant dielectric (GD) oxides exhibiting extremely large dielectric permittivities (ε’ > 10⁴) have been extensively studied because of their potential for use in passive electronic devices. However, the unacceptable loss tangents (tanδ) and temperature instability with respect to ε’ continue to be a significant hindrance to their development. In this study, a novel GD oxide, exhibiting an extremely large ε’ value of approximately 7.55 × 10⁴ and an extremely low tanδ value of approximately 0.007 at 10³ Hz, has been reported. These remarkable properties were attributed to the synthesis of a Lu³⁺/Nb⁵⁺ co-doped TiO₂ (LuNTO) ceramic containing an appropriate co-dopant concentration. Furthermore, the variation in the ε’ values between the temperatures of −60 °C and 210 °C did not exceed ±15% of the reference value obtained at 25 °C. The effects of the grains, grain boundaries, and second phase particles on the dielectric properties were evaluated to determine the dielectric properties exhibited by LuNTO ceramics. A highly dense microstructure was obtained in the as-sintered ceramics. The existence of a LuNbTiO₆ microwave-dielectric phase was confirmed when the co-dopant concentration was increased to 1%, thereby affecting the dielectric behavior of the LuNTO ceramics. The excellent dielectric properties exhibited by the LuNTO ceramics were attributed to their inhomogeneous microstructure. The microstructure was composed of semiconducting grains, consisting of Ti³⁺ ions formed by Nb⁵⁺ dopant ions, alongside ultra-high-resistance grain boundaries. The effects of the semiconducting grains, insulating grain boundaries (GBs), and secondary microwave phase particles on the dielectric relaxations are explained based on their interfacial polarizations. The results suggest that a significant enhancement of the GB properties is the key toward improvement of the GD properties, while the presence of second phase particles may not always be effective.     

Structural,optical and dielectric relaxor properties of neodymium doped cubic perovskite (Ba1−xNd2x/3)(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3

Neodymium doped Barium Zirconate Titanate (Ba_1−xNd_2x/3)(Zr_0.3Ti_0.7)O₃ (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10) ceramics were prepared using the solid state reaction route. Structural characterizations of the materials were done by using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. XRD study suggested that all the compositions were of single phase cubic perovskite structure with space group Pm-3m while Raman spectra revealed that the replacement of the Ba²⁺ ions by Nd³⁺ ions significantly reduced the intensity of the Raman active modes and shifted them towards higher energy side. Room temperature optical property was analyzed by photoluminescence spectroscopy, which confirmed formation of shallow defects in the band gap. Photoluminescence property was attributed to the presence of polar [TiO₆] distorted clusters in the globally cubic matrix. As a result PL emission spectra of these materials were found to belong to violet–blue regions. Microstructural study of sintered pellets revealed that the grain sizes increase with increase in doping concentration. The temperature dependence of the dielectric properties was investigated in the frequency range 1 kHz to 1 MHz. The broadening in the dielectric constant peak around the phase transition temperature and shifting of the temperature maximum towards higher temperatures with increase in frequency indicated a relaxor type of behavior.     

Dielectric and impedance properties of Sr(Sm0.5Nb0.5)O3 ceramics

Perovskite types Sr(Sm_0.5Nb_0.5)O₃, (SSN) ceramics have been prepared through solid state reaction route. The scanning electron microscopy provides information on the quality of the samples and uniform grain distribution over the surface of the samples. The field dependence of the dielectric response was measured in a frequency range from 50 Hz to 1 MHz and in a temperature range from 60 °C to 420 °C indicates polydispersive nature of the materials. An analysis of the dielectric constant (?′) and tangent loss (tanδ) with frequency is performed assuming a distribution of relaxation times as confirmed by the scaling behavior of electric modulus spectra. The frequency dependence of the electric modulus peak is found to obey Arrhenius law with activation energy of ∼0.026 eV. The complex plane impedance plot shows the grain boundary contribution for higher value of dielectric constant in the law frequency region. The frequency dependence of electrical data is also analyzed in the framework of conductivity and electric modulus formalisms. Both these formalisms show qualitative similarities in relaxation times. The scaling behavior of imaginary part of electric modulus M″ suggests that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at various temperatures in SSN.     

Effect of ZnO on sintering and microwave dielectric properties of 0.5CaTiO3-0.5 (Li0.5La0.5) TiO3 ceramics

The novel calcium titanate-lithium lanthanum titanate doped with zinc oxide (0.10, 0.30, and 0.50 mol. %) ceramic samples were prepared by solid-state reaction route. The phase formation, microstructure, densification, and microwave dielectric properties were investigated. It was found that the doping with zinc oxide led to a decrease in sintering temperature by 25 ^oC as compared with pure calcium titanate lithium lanthanum titanate due to the liquid phase effect. Also, the calcium titanate lithium lanthanum titanate (10ZCTLLT&30ZCTLLT)) doped with lower zinc oxide (0.10 and 0.30 mol. %) led to higher densification parameter. This was followed by increasing the zinc oxide doping up to (0.50 mol. %) which resulted in a decrease in densification and microwave dielectric properties which may be attributed to increase in porosity and grain growth upon the evaporation of zinc and oxygen vacancy. This led to the increase in dielectric loss (≈10 × 10^?4) value with 50ZCTLLT. Hence, the best result of microwave dielectric characteristics was obtained for 0.5CaTiO₃–0.5(Li_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃ with (0.10 and 0.30 mol. % ZnO) 10ZCTLLT and 30ZCTLLT ceramic samples sintered at 1175 ^oC/2h, with low dielectric constant (ε_r) = 4.4–10.5, very low dielectric loss = 1.07-2.23 × 10^?4 and high quality factor (Q x ?) ≈59-55 × 10⁴ at 8 GHz. Consequently, they can be used not only in wireless satellite communications technology but also can be used in the fifth-generation telecommunication 5G technology construction.     

Studies of dielectric characteristics of BaBi2Nb2O9 ferroelectrics prepared by chemical precursor decomposition method

BaBiNb₂O₉ (BBN) powders in the nanometer range were prepared by chemical precursor decomposition method (CPD). TG–DTA showed that precursor sample got freed from organic contaminants at 575 °C. XRD showed that a single phase with the layered perovskite structure of BBN was formed after calcining at 600 °C. No intermediate phase was found during heat treatment at and above 600 °C. The crystallite size (D) and the effective strain (η) were found to be 26 nm and 0.000867, respectively, while the particle size obtained from TEM was 28 ± 2 nm. SEM revealed that the average grain size after sintering at 900 °C for 4 h was ∼1.67 μm. A relative density of ∼93% was obtained using a two-step sintering process at moderate pressure. Dielectric and ferroelectric properties were investigated in the temperature range 50–500 °C and frequencies from 1 kHz to 5 MHz. Strong dispersion of the complex relative dielectric constant was observed including typical relaxor features such as shift of permittivity maximum with frequency and broadening of the peak maximum. The high dielectric constant of 545 measured at 100 kHz and other properties of BBN ceramics were compared to that of BBN prepared by other conventional methods and found to be superior.     

Preparation and characterization of CaCu3Ti4O12 powders by non-hydrolytic sol–gel method

CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) powders were prepared via a non-hydrolytic sol–gel (NHSG) method by using acetylacetone as chelating agent and ethylene glycol as solvent. The samples were characterized by TG–DSC, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The dielectric properties of ceramics were also measured. The pure perovskite-like CCTO powders were obtained by heat treatment at 800 °C for 2 h. The average particle sizes of CCTO powders calcined at 800 °C were approximately 350–450 nm. The samples sintered at 1,000 °C showed the mean grain size of 2.5–4 μm. Specially, the ceramics exhibited high dielectric constant (1.19 × 10⁵–1.40 × 10⁵) and low dielectric loss (0.051–0.1) in the temperature range of 30–110 °C. Moreover, with the NHSG method the period of synthesis process was greatly shortened.     

Electrical,dielectric and pyroelectric behavior of neodymium substituted barium zirconium titanate

Neodymium (Nd) substituted barium zirconium titanate with nominal composition (Ba_1−xNd_x)(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ [x = 0.1, and 0.2] were synthesized using solid state reaction method. X-ray analysis confirmed the formation of perovskite structure along with minor pyroclore phase of neodymium. The change in grain size revealed the influence of Nd-ions on the microstructure. The sintered samples exhibited negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) and superior semiconducting behavior. Addition of Nd³⁺varies the room temperature resistivity of Ba(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃. As the concentration of Nd-ion increased, the value of temperature dependent dielectric constant decreased whereas the Curie temperature of the ceramics shifted toward higher temperature side showing diffuse phase transition. This is attributed to decrease in average grain size. Temperature dependent pyroelectric current exhibited combination of primary and secondary pyroelectric effect.     

Microstructure and dielectric properties of Nd doped CaCu3Ti4O12 synthesized by sol–gel method

Ca_(1?3x/2)Nd _x Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) powders and ceramics were prepared by sol–gel method. Effect of Nd on microstructure and dielectric properties were investigated. XRD patterns suggest that pure perovskite-like CCTO phase were obtained after calcining at 800 °C for 2 h. SEM pictures reveal that particle size monotonously decreases from 250 to 120 nm with increase of Nd concentration. The lattice parameters show an increasing trend with the enhancing amount of Nd³⁺ substitution. The average grain size of CCTO ceramics decrease from 2.0 to 0.8 μm with increase in Nd doping, which indicates that high concentration of Nd inhibits grain growth of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂. Both of the dielectric constant and dielectric loss decrease with increase in Nd concentrations. Ca_(1?3x/2)Nd _x Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics with x = 0.3 shows the lowest dielectric constant of 1.12 × 10⁴ as well as the lowest dielectric loss value of 0.12 at 20 °C(10 kHz).     

Synthesis and microwave dielectric properties of Ca<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>La<Subscript>0.267</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanocrystalline powders by sol–gel method

Ca_0.6La_0.267TiO₃ nanocrystalline powders were successfully synthesized by the sol–gel method using PEG1000 as a dispersant in this study. The sinterability of the powders and the microwave dielectric properties of the ceramics were also investigated. The XRD diffraction result showed that pure Ca_0.6La_0.267TiO₃ powder with orthorhombic perovskite structure could be synthesized at 600 °C for 2 h without any detectable intermediate phase. The average grain size of the as-synthesized powder was as low as 35 nm. Compared with Ca_0.6La_0.267TiO₃ ceramics fabricated by conventional solid-state process, the bulk materials prepared by sintering as-prepared nanopowders performed better in densification and microwave dielectric properties. The ceramics sintered at 1,300 °C exhibited a higher relative density of 98.3% combined with a dielectric constant (ε _r ) of 120.3, a quality factor (Q × f) of 23,550 GHz and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ _f ) of +220.7 ppm/°C, respectively.     

Synthesis,crystal structure and properties of a quaternary oxide with a new structure type,BiGaTi4O11

A new quaternary oxide, BiGaTi₄O₁₁ (bismuth gallium tetratitanium undecaoxide), was prepared by heating a mixture of the binary oxides at 1373 K in air. BiGaTi₄O₁₁ melts at 1487 K and prismatic single crystals were obtained from a sample melted at 1523 K and solidified by furnace cooling. The structure of BiGaTi₄O₁₁ was analyzed using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction to be of a new type that crystallized in the space group Cmcm. A Bi³⁺ site is coordinated by nine O^2? anions, and three oxygen‐coordinated octahedral sites are statistically occupied by Ga³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ cations. A relative dielectric constant of 46 with a temperature coefficient of 57 ppm K^?1 in the temperature range 297–448 K was measured for a polycrystalline ceramic sample at 150 Hz–1 MHz with a dielectric loss tan δ of less than 0.01. Electrical resistivities measured at 1073 K by alternating‐current impedance spectroscopic and direct‐current methods were 1.16 × 10^?4 and 1.14 × 10^?4 S cm^?1, respectively, which indicates that electrons and/or holes were conduction carriers at high temperature. The optical band gap estimated by the results of diffuse reflectance analysis was 2.9–3.0 eV, while the band gap obtained from the activation energy for electrical conduction was 3.5 eV.     

Effect of the addition of B2O3 and BaO-B2O3-SiO2 glasses on the microstructure and dielectric properties of giant dielectric constant material CaCu3Ti4O12

The effect of the addition of glassy phases on the microstructure and dielectric properties of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) ceramics was investigated. Both single-component (B₂O₃) and multi-component (30 wt% BaO-60 wt% B₂O₃-10 wt% SiO₂ (BBS)) glass systems were chosen to study their effect on the density, microstructure and dielectric properties of CCTO. Addition of an optimum amount of B₂O₃ glass facilitated grain growth and an increase in dielectric constant. However, further increase in the B₂O₃ content resulted in its segregation at the grain boundaries associated with a reduction in the grain size. In contrast, BBS glass addition resulted in well-faceted grains and increase in the dielectric constant and decrease in the dielectric loss. An internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) model was invoked to correlate the dielectric constant with the grain size in these samples.     

The impedance behavior of the cell Au/HClO4 · 5.5 H2O/Au in the temperature range 4.2–300 K

The impedance of the cell Au/HClO₄-5.5 H₂O/Au was investigated in the frequency range 1 to 10⁵ Hz between 4.2 and 300 K. The analysis of the data enables an evaluation of important electrolyte properties such as conductivity and dielectric constant in a wide range of temperatures, predominantly in the solid state of the electrolyte HClO₄-5.5 H₂O (T_f = 228 K). The double layer capacity of the gold electrodes was also determined; it shows a qualitatively similar result compared with previous measurements. In the solid state, the ionic conductivity exhibits two distinct activation energies of 0.37 and 0.54 eV corresponding to the two phases present in HClO₄-5.5 H₂O above and below 170 K. Below 120 K the activation energy becomes very small and tends to zero around 80 K indicating possible tunneling processes in the rigid H₂O structure. At about the same temperature the dielectric constant reaches its low temperature limit with a value _∞ ≈ 11 which is considerably higher than the value of pure ice of _∞ ≈ 3.     

Magnetic,Mössbauer and optical spectroscopic properties of the AFe3O(PO4)3 (A = Ca,Sr, Pb) series of powder compounds

AFe₃O(PO₄)₃ (A = Ca, Sr and Pb) powder compounds were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) coupled with wavelength dispersion spectroscopy (WDS), Raman and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies, specific heat and magnetic properties measurements. Magnetization, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements carried out on AFe₃O(PO₄)₃ (A = Sr, Ca and Pb) powders firmly establish a series of three ferromagnetic (FM)-like second order phase transitions spanned over the 32–8 K temperature range. Room temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy and associated DFT calculations confirm the existence of three crystallographically non equivalent Fe³⁺ sites in the three compounds. Mössbauer spectra recorded as a function of temperature in the PbFe₃O(PO₄)₃ compound also establishes the occurrence of two purely magnetic and reversible phase transitions at 32 and 10 K. Diffuse reflectance measurements reveal two broad absorption bands at 1047 and 837 nm, in both PbFe₃O(PO₄)₃ and SrFe₃O(PO₄)₃ powders, with peak cross sections ∼10⁻²⁰ cm² typical of spin-forbidden and forced electric dipole intraconfigurational transitions.