Effects of BaCu（B2O5 ） addition on sintering temperature and microwave dielectric properties of Ba5Nb4O15–BaWO4 ceramics

The effects of BaCu(B2O5)(BCB) addition on the microstructure, phase formation, and microwave dielectric properties of Ba5Nb4O15–BaWO4ceramic are investigated. As a sintering aid, BaCu(B2O5) ceramic could effectively lower the sintering temperature of Ba5Nb4O15–BaWO4ceramic from 1100?C to 950?C due to the liquid-phase effect. Meanwhile,BaCu(B2O5) addition effectively improves the densification of Ba5Nb4O15–BaWO4ceramic and significantly influences the microwave dielectric properties. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that Ba5Nb4O15and BaWO4coexist with no crystal phase of BaCu(B2O5) in the sintered ceramics. The Ba5Nb4O15–BaWO4ceramics with 1.0 wt% BaCu(B2O5) sintered at 950?C for 2 h presents good microwave dielectric properties of εr = 19.0, high Q × f of 33802 GHz and low τfof2.5 ppm/?C.     

The low-temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of （Zno.7Mgo.3） TiO3 ceramics with H3BO3

The effects of the addition of H3BO3 on the microstructure, phase formation, and microwave dielectric properties of （Zn0.TMg0.3）TiO3 ceramics sintered at temperatures ranging from 890 ℃ to 950 ℃ are investigated. H3BO3 as a sintering agent can effectively lower the sintering temperature of ZMT ceramics below 950 ℃due to the liquid-phase effect. The microwave dielectric properties are found to strongly correlate with the amount of H3BO3. With the increase in H3BO3 content, the dielectric constant （er） monotonically increases, but the quality factor （Q x f） reaches a maximum at 1 wt% H3BO3, and the apparent density of ZMT ceramics with H3BO3〉 1 wt% gradually decreases. At 950 ℃, the ZMT ceramics with 1% H3BO3 exhibit excellent microwave dielectric properties： er = 19.8, and Q x f -- 43800 GHz （8.94 GHz）.     

The low-temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of (Zn_(0.7)Mg_(0.3))TiO_3 ceramics with H_3BO_3

The effects of the addition of H 3 BO 3 on the microstructure, phase formation, and microwave dielectric properties of (Zn 0.7 Mg 0.3 )TiO 3 ceramics sintered at temperatures ranging from 890 ℃ to 950 ℃ are investigated. H 3 BO 3 as a sintering agent can effectively lower the sintering temperature of ZMT ceramics below 950 ℃ due to the liquid-phase effect. The microwave dielectric properties are found to strongly correlate with the amount of H 3 BO 3 . With the increase in H 3 BO 3 content, the dielectric constant (ε r ) monotonically increases, but the quality factor (Q × f ) reaches a maximum at 1 wt% H 3 BO 3 , and the apparent density of ZMT ceramics with H 3 BO 3 ≥ 1 wt% gradually decreases. At 950 ℃, the ZMT ceramics with 1% H 3 BO 3 exhibit excellent microwave dielectric properties: ε r = 19.8, and Q × f = 43800 GHz (8.94 GHz).     

Properties of B_4C-TiB_2 ceramics prepared by spark plasma sintering

By doping titanium hydride(TiH2) into boron carbide(B4C), a series of B4C + x wt% TiH2(x = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20)composite ceramics were obtained through spark plasma sintering(SPS). The effects of the sintering temperature and the amount of TiH2 additive on the microstructure, mechanical and electrical properties of the sintered B4C-TiB2 composite ceramics were investigated. Powder mixtures of B4C with 0–20 wt% TiH2 were heated from 1400℃ to 1800℃ for 20 min under 50 MPa. The results indicated that higher sintering temperatures contributed to greater ceramic density. With increasing TiH2 content, titanium diboride(TiB2) formed between the TiH2 and B4C matrix. This effectively improved Young’s modulus and fracture toughness of the composite ceramics, significantly improving their electrical properties: the electrical conductivity reached 114.9 S·cm-1 at 1800℃ when x = 20. Optimum mechanical properties were obtained for the B4C ceramics sintered with 20 wt% TiH2, which had a relative density of 99.9±0.1%, Vickers hardness of 31.8 GPa,and fracture toughness of 8.5 MPa·m1/2. The results indicated that the doping of fine Ti particles into the B4C matrix increased the conductivity and the fracture toughness of B4C.     

Thermal Stability and Humidity Resistance of ScTaO4 Modified （K0.5Na0.5）NbO3 Ceramics

Lead-free （Na0.5K0.5）NbO3-xmol% ScTaO4 （x=0-1.5） ceramics are prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction method and their properties are investigated in detail. The results indicate that the piezoelectric properties and density are improved by the introduction of ScTaO4. Due to the high orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition temperature TO-T （around 200°C）, stable piezoelectric properties against temperature are obtained. In a wide temperature range of 15-160°C, kp of the （Na0.5K0.5）NbO3-0.5mol% ScTaO4 ceramic remains almost unchanged and d31 increases slightly from 59pC/N to 71pC/N. The deliquescent problem is effectively solved by the addition of ScTaO4. The piezoelectric properties of ScTaO4 modified （Na0.5K0.5）NbO3 ceramics show no obvious reduction and dielectric loss increases slightly after 120h of immersion. From the analysis, it is suggested that the density is an important factor that improves the humidity resistance of the specimens.     

Dimension effects on the dielectric properties of fine BaTi03 ceramics

It is found that the core-shell structured grains are easy to produce for fine grain doped BaTiO3 ceramics in the sintering process. We study the influence of the core-shell structure on the Curie-Weiss temperature and dielectric properties of BaTiO3 ceramics by using effective medium approximation （EMA）. Considering the second approximation, the dielectric properties of fine grain doped BaTiO3 ceramics are consistent with experimental data.     

Effects of Li Substitution and Sintering Temperature on Properties of Bi0.5（Na,K）0.5TiO3 Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics

Bi0.5 （Na0.72K0.28- x Lix ）0.5 TiO3 （BNKLT- 100x） lead-free piezoelectric ceramics are synthesized by conventional solid state sintering techniques. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the BNKLT-100x ceramics as a function of Li content are systematically investigated. It is found that not only Li content but also the sintering temperature has a strong effect on the piezoelectric properties of BNKLT. The piezoelectric constant d33 Of BNKLT varies from 120 to 252pC/N in the Li content range from 0.03 to 0.16. In the sintering temperature range from 1080 to 1130℃, the d33 value of BNKLT-6 changes from 200pC/N to 252pC/N. The BNKLT-6 sample sintered at 1100℃ has the highest piezoelectric constant d33 of 252pC/N, with the electromechanical coupling factors kp of 0.32 and kt of 0.44.     

Electrical and dielectric properties of Na_(1/2)La_(1/2)Cu_3Ti_4O_(12) ceramics prepared by high energy ball-milling and conventional sintering

We report on the measurements of the electrical and dielectric properties of Na_(1/2)La_(1/2)Cu_3Ti_4O_(12)(NLCTO) ceramics prepared by high energy ball-milling and conventional sintering without any calcination steps. The x-ray powder diffraction analysis shows that pure perovskite-like CCTO phase is obtained after sintering at 1025?C–1075?C. Higher sintering temperatures result in multi-phase ceramics due to thermal decomposition. Scanning electron microscope observations reveal that the grain size is in a range of ~ 3 μm–5 μm for these ceramics. Impedance spectroscopy measurements performed in a wide frequency range(1 Hz–10 MHz) and at various temperatures(120 K–470 K) are used to study the dielectric and electrical properties of NLCTO ceramics. A good compromise between high ε(5.7 × 10~3 and 4.1 × 10~3 at 1.1 k Hz and 96 k Hz, respectively) and low tan δ(0.161 and 0.126 at 1.1 k Hz and 96 k Hz, respectively) is obtained for the ceramic sintered at 1050℃. The observed high dielectric constant behavior is explained in terms of the internal barrier layer capacitance effect.     

KNN Based Lead-Free Piezoceramics with Improved Thermal Stability

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics （1 - x） （Na0.53K0.404 Li0.066）Nb0.92 Sb0.08 03 ＋xZrTiO3 are fabricated by conventional solid-state sintering method, and their dielectric and piezoelectric characteristics are investigated. With the addition of SrTiO3, the growth of the grain size is restrained, meanwhile the phase transition temperature of orthorhombic-tetragonal is shifted below room temperature. It is found that the ceramics with x = 0.010 exhibit excellent piezoelectric properties （d33 = 220 pC/N, kp = 41%, kt = 39%） and improved thermal stability around room temperature. The results indicate that these materials are promising lead-free piezoceramics for practical operations.     

Relaxor Behaviour and Ferroelectric Properties of （Li0.12Na0.88） （Nb0.9-xWa0.10Sbx）O3 Lead-Free Ceramics

New lead-free ceramics （Lio.12Na0.88） （Nbo.9-x Ta0.10 Sbx） 03 （0.01 × 0.06） are synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of the ceramics are studied. The dielectric constant dependence with temperature and frequency of the ceramic specimen with x = 0.04 shows typical characteristics of relaxor ferroelectrics, and the Vogel-Fulcher relationship is fulfilled. The dielectric behaviour and its relation to the phase transition phenomena are discussed. The polarization hysteresis loops at room temperature are also measured.     

Structural and dielectric properties of giant dielectric Na_(1/2)Sm_(1/2)Cu_3Ti_4O_(12) ceramics prepared by reactive sintering methods

Na_(0.5)Sm_(0.5)Cu_3Ti_4O_(12)(NSCTO) ceramics have been prepared by reactive sintering of amorphous powder.Spark plasma sintering(SPS) for 10 min at 1025℃ and conventional sintering(CS) for 10 h at 1090℃ have been employed.X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed the pure CCTO-like phase for SPS and CS NSCTO ceramics.The SPS ceramic showed an average grain size of 500 nm, which is much smaller than that of the CS(～ 5 μm) sample.The impedance spectroscopy measurements revealed an electrically inhomogeneous structure in the prepared ceramics.While the resistivities of grains of both ceramic samples were in the same order of magnitude, the resistivity of grain-boundaries of the CS ceramic was three orders of magnitude greater than that of the SPS ceramic.Both of the samples showed giant dielectric constant( 10~3) over wide ranges of temperatures and frequencies.Nevertheless, the room-temperature dielectric loss of the SPS NSCTO(3.2 at 1.1 kHz) ceramic sample was higher than that of the CS NSCTO(0.08 at 1.1 kHz) ceramic sample due to the reduced grain-boundary resistivity of the former.Two dielectric relaxations were detected for each sample and attributed to the relaxations in grains and grain-boundaries.The dielectric behavior of the SPS and CS NSCTO ceramics could be interpreted in terms of the internal barrier layer capacitor(IBLC) model.     

Densification and lithium ion conductivity of garnet-type Li7-xLa3Zr2-xTaxO12 （x=0.25） solid electrolytes

The garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 ceramic is a promising solid electrolyte for all-solid-state secondary lithium batteries. However, it faces the problem of lithium volatilization during sintering, which may cause low density and deterioration of ionic conductivity. In this work, the effects of sintering temperature and addition on the density as well as the lithium ion conductivity of Li7-xLa3Zr2-xTaxO12 (LLZTO, x=0.25) ceramics prepared by solid state reaction have been studied. It is found that optimization of the sintering temperature leads to a minor increase in the ceramic density, yielding an optimum ionic conductivity of 2.9×10-4 S·cm-1 at 25℃. Introduction of Li 3 PO 4 addition in an appropriate concentration can obviously increase the density, leading to an optimum ionic conductivity of 7.2×10-4 S·cm-1 at 25℃. This value is superior to the conductivity data in most recent reports on the LLZTO ceramics.     

Properties of negative thermal expansion β-eucryptite ceramics prepared by spark plasma sintering

β-eucryptite powders are prepared by the sol-gel method through using tetraethoxysilane lithium nitrate and aluminum isopropoxide as starting materials. β-eucryptite ceramics are prepared by spark plasma sintering. The effects of sintering temperature on the negative thermal expansion properties of the β-eucryptite are investigated by x-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and thermal expansion test. The XRD results exhibit no change in the crystal structure of the sample prepared by different sintering processes. The negative thermal expansion properties increase with the increase of the sintering temperature. The coefficient of thermal expansion of β-eucryptite ceramics sintered at 1100℃ is calculated to be -4.93 × 10~(-6)℃~(-1). Crystallization behaviors of the ceramics may play an important role in the increase of negative thermal expansion of β-eucryptite. High sintering temperature could improve the crystallization behaviors of the ceramics and reduce the residue glass phase, which can improve the negative thermal expansion properties of β-eucryptite ceramics.     

Effects of A1 site occupation on dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Sr4CaRTi3Nb7O30（R=Ce,Eu） tungsten bronze ceramics

Sr4Ca RTi3Nb7O30（R = Ce, Eu） tungsten bronze ceramics are prepared by a standard solid state reaction method. The effects of A1 site occupation on the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Sr4 Ca RTi3Nb7O30（R = Ce, Eu） tetragonal tungsten bronzes are investigated. The Sr4 Ca Ce Ti3Nb7O30 shows a normal transition behavior due to the closer size ion occupation in A1 sites, which could suppress the distortion of B2 octahedra effectively. Sr4 Ca Eu Ti3Nb7O30 ceramic exhibits two dielectric anomalies, which might be related to the fact that the large radius difference between Ca^2＋ and Eu^3＋ could lead to the uneven distribution of Ca^2＋ and Eu^3＋ in A1 sites and form two slightly different kinds of compositions with different transition temperatures in the structure. Our results indicate that the ionic radius difference in A1 sites plays an important role in determining the dielectric and ferroelectric natures of the filled tungsten bronze ceramics. Polarization–electric field（P–E） curves are evaluated at room temperature and both of them show hysteresis loops. Sr4 Ca Ce Ti3Nb7O30 shows a fat hysteresis loop, indicating the long-range ferroelectric order in the ceramic. The current density–electric field（J–E） curves are measured at room temperature with a largest leakage current density of ～ 10^-6A/cm^2, indicating that their leakage currents are rather low.     

Dimension effects on the dielectric properties of fine BaTiO3 ceramics

It is found that the core-shell structured grains are easy to produce for fine grain doped BaTiO3 ceramics in the sintering process. We study the influence of the core-shell structure on the Curie–Weiss temperature and dielectric properties of BaTiO3 ceramics by using effective medium approximation(EMA). Considering the second approximation, the dielectric properties of fine grain doped BaTiO3 ceramics are consistent with experimental data.     

Dielectric and Ferroelectric Properties of La-Doped SrBi2Nb2O9 Ceramics

Sr1-xLa2x/3Bi2Nb20O （0 ≤ x ≤0.2） ceramic samples are prepared by the solid-state reaction method. Their structure, dielectric and ferroelectric properties are investigated. The incorporation of La^3＋ improves the den- sification and decreases the grain size of the ceramics without changing the crystal structure. The remanent polarization 2PT increases with increasing La content and reaches a maximum value of 22.8μC/cm^2 at x = 0.125, which is approximately 60% larger than that of pure SrBi2Nb2O9. The Curie temperature keeps almost unchanged at a value of about 440℃. The relationship between doping and the ferroeleetrie and dielectric properties are discussed.     

Synthesis,thermionic emission and magnetic properties of （NdxGdl-x）B6

Polycrystalline rare-earth hexaborides （NdxGdl-x）B6 （x = 0, 0.2, 0.6, 0.8, 1） were prepared by the reactive spark plasma sintering （SPS） method using mixed powder of GdH2, NdH2 and B. The effects of Nd doping on the crystal structure, the grain orientation, the thermionie emission and the magnetic properties of the hexaboride were investigated by X-ray diffraction, electron backscattered diffraction and magnetic measurements. It is found that all the samples sintered by the SPS method exhibit high densities （〉95%） and high values of Vickers hardness （2319 kg/mm2）. The values are much higher than those obtained in the traditional method. With the increase of Nd content,the thermionic emission current density increases from 11 to 16.30 A/cm2 and the magnetic phase transition temperature increases from 5.85 to 7.95 K. Thus, the SPS technique is a suitable method to synthesize the dense rare-earth hexaborides with excellent properties.     

Improved multiferroic properties of La-doped 0.6BiFeO3—0.4SrTiO3 solid solution ceramics

The 0.6（Bi1-xLax）FeO 3-0.4SrTiO 3（x = 0,0.1） multiferroic ceramics are prepared by a modified Pechini method to study the effect of substitution of SrTiO3 and La in BiFeO3.The X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the single phase characteristics of all the compositions each with a rhombohedral structure.The magnetic properties of the ceramics are significantly improved by a solid solution with SrTiO3 and substitution of La.The values of the dielectric constant ε r and loss tangent tan δ of all the samples decrease with increasing frequency and become constant at room temperature.The La-doped 0.6BiFeO3-0.4SrTiO3 ceramics exhibit improved dielectric and ferroelectric properties,with higher dielectric constant enhanced remnant polarization（Pr） and lower leakage current at room temperature.Compared with a anti-ferromagnetic BiFeO3 compound,the 0.6（Bi0.9La0.1）FeO3-0.4SrTiO3 sample shows the optimal ferromagnetism with remnant magnetization M r ～ 0.135 emμ/g and ferroelectricity with Pr ～ 5.94 μC/cm 2 at room temperature.     

Cubic BN Sintered with A1 under High Temperature and High Pressure

Sintering of cubic boron nitride （cBN） with addition of A1 is carried out in the temperature range 1300-1500℃ and under the pressure 5.5 GPa. When sintered at 1300℃, a weak diffractive peak of hexagonal BN （hBN） is observed in the Al-cBN sample, indicating the transformation from cBN to hBN. No nitrides or borides of A1 are observed, which indicated that A1 does not react with cBN obviously. When the sintering temperature is increased to 1400℃, the diffractive peak of hBN disappears and new phases of A1N and A1B2 are observed, due to reactions between A1 and cBN. When the sintering temperature is further increased to 1500℃, the contents of A1N and A1B2 phases increase and the A1 phase disappears completely.     

Dielectric and Pyroelectric Properties of （Pb0.50Sr0.50）TiO3 Ceramics

Lead strontium titanate （Pb0.50Sr0.50）TiO3 （PST） ceramics are prepared by the traditional ceramic processing. The dielectric constants and dielectric loss have been investigated in a temperature range from 25℃ to 300℃. The maximum dielectric constants for unpoled and poled samples are 9924 and 9683, respectively. The temperatures of phase transition for unpoled and poled samples are observed at 153℃ and 157℃, respectively. The phasetransition temperatures for unpoled and poled samples are not equal, which results from the polarization state of the domains. The remnant polarization and the coercive electric field are 18 uC/cm^2 and 6 kV/cm, respectively, from polarization-electric field （P - E） hysteresis loop. The temperature dependence of pyroelectric coefficients of the PST ceramics is measured by a dynamic technique. The dielectric constant and loss Lan δ of the poled PST ceramics are 813 and 0.010, respectively. The pyroelectric coefficients and figure of merit are 294 uC/cm^2 K and 13.6 × 10^-6 pa^-0.5, respectively, at room temperature 25℃and frequency lOOHz.