Effects of Er3+ dopant on polymorphic phase boundaries and electrical properties of Sn4+modified Ba1-yErySn0.06Ti0.94O3 multifunctional ceramics

Ferroelectric ceramic compositions of Ba1-yErySn0.06Ti0.94O3 (0 <= y <= 0.9 mol%) modified with varying erbium content prepared by solid-state reaction method have been investigated for their structural, electrical, and light upconversion properties. Erbium (Er) dopant reveals a distinct change in the dielectric phase transitions and exhibit multifunctional properties. The coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases is identified using Rietveld refinement. Increasing Er content increases the tetragonal phase fraction, reduces the tetragonal distortion and inhibits the grain growth. Raman spectroscopy reveals preferential substitution of Er3+ for Ba2+ and shows additional modes at similar to 335, similar to 442, similar to 621, similar to 669, and similar to 786 cm(-1). Rhombohedral-to-orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transitions (TR-O and TO-T) shift to lower temperatures, and the tetragonal-to-cubic phase transition (TT-C) remains unchanged as evidenced through dielectric and reversible heat capacity measurements. Increasing Er content widens the transition zone width (TT-C - TO-T = Delta T-PTTR) from similar to 39 to 60 degrees C and extends the useful application range. Increasing Er content decreases DC resistivity (rho(dc)) from similar to 9.54 to 4.21 x 10(11) omega-cm, decreases remnant polarization from 2.64 to 1.85 mu C cm(-2), and a maximum piezoelectric coefficient similar to 179 pC N-1 is observed for y = 0.3 mol%. The sensitivity of temperature dependent light upconversion reaches its maximum value of 0.00344 K-1 at similar to 450 K for y = 0.5 mol%.

Automated summary

Ferroelectric ceramic compositions modified with varying erbium content were prepared and investigated for their structural, electrical, and light upconversion properties. The study showed that the erbium dopant induced changes in the dielectric phase transitions and exhibited multifunctional properties.