Effects of Zr and Gd co-doping on structure, microstructure and electrical properties of BaTiO3 ceramics
摘要
In this study, we concentrated on unraveling the structural and dielectric features of Zr-doped BaGd0.05 Ti0.95O3 powders (y = {0; 0.01; 0.02; 0.03}) synthesized through the sol–gel route. Detailed X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, supported by Rietveld refinement, confirmed that all prepared samples adopt the tetragonal crystal structure. Scanning electron microscopy revealed chemically homogeneous powders. Furthermore, the impact of Zr doping on the dielectric characteristics was examined at frequencies ranging from 1 kHz to 1.8 MHz and throughout a broad temperature range up to 300 °C. At the transition temperature, the real permittivity (εr) decreases from 1185 to 342 with a higher Zr content. while the real permittivity (εr) at 25 °C experienced a clear decrease from 757 to 259. Simultaneously, the dielectric losses (tan(δ)) decreased from 0.0154 to 0.0123. The Tm decreased from 130 to 121 °C, whereas the TCW dropped from 125 to 84 °C. The modified Uchino law and the Curie–Weiss equation were also used to examine the dielectric diffuse phase transition. The dielectric analysis showed that the transitions were diffuse and the samples were disordered. The AC conductivity exhibits dispersive behavior, and the activation energy derived from electrical properties increases with Zr content. These findings underscore the significant potential of Zr doping in enhancing both dielectric properties, providing valuable insights for advanced applications, including high-energy-density capacitors, MLCCs, and especially in applications utilizing high-frequency ranges, thanks to its high-capacity electricity storage at high frequency.