Composition-dependent phase modulation and conduction in Ta/Nd co-doped 0.9NaNb1−xTaxO3−0.1Bi1−yNdyFeO3 ceramics
摘要
Ta and Nd co-doped 0.9NaNb1−xTaxO3−0.1Bi1−yNdyFeO3 ceramics (x = 0.4, 0.6; y = 0.1, 0.15, 0.2) were synthesized via spark plasma sintering. Systematic structural characterization supports the coexistence of the antiferroelectric (AFE) P and AFE R phases, with their fractions tuned by Ta and Nd contents. This phase fraction modulation influences the polarization response: at x = 0.4, the ferroelectric (FE) hysteresis loop transforms from an FE-like to a nearly linear shape with increasing y due to the increasing R phase fraction; conversely, the slim loop gradually broadens into an FE-like shape at x = 0.6 as the P phase predominates. Dielectric measurements reveal diffuse phase transitions attributed to structural disorder induced by chemical inhomogeneity. Impedance spectroscopy shows that both grain and grain-boundary effects contribute to the conduction process, with the dominant mechanism controlled by the Ta content. Arrhenius fitting suggests that doubly ionized vacancies dominate the grain conductivity at x = 0.4 and the grain-boundary conductivity at x = 0.6, whereas singly ionized vacancies prevail in the complementary regions. These findings demonstrate that Ta and Nd co-doping serves as an effective strategy for modulating phase structures, polarization responses, and conduction behaviors in 0.9NaNb1−xTaxO3−0.1Bi1−yNdyFeO3 ceramics.