Dielectric and energy storage properties of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 ceramics with different aging temperature during the sol-gel process

A series of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 (referred to as BCZT) ceramics were fabricated by the sol-gel method with different aging temperatures. The structure, dielectric property, and the energy storage property were researched. Compared with the BCZT synthesized with the traditional solid-state reaction method, the samples prepared by the sol-gel method have obvious advantages in various performances. And a strong influence of aging temperature on the BCZT ceramics was observed. The suitable aging temperature can broaden the dielectric peak and decrease the Curie temperature. In addition, the optimal BCZT sample with the aging temperature of 60 degrees C exists a high permittivity (epsilon(r) similar to 3141) and a low dielectric loss (tan delta similar to 0.012) at the frequency of 10(2) Hz. Moreover, the coercive field and remnant polarization of the BCZT were greatly decreased, contributing to slim hysteresis loops. Notably, the thinner P-E loop contributes a high energy storage efficiency (76.6%) at 40 kV/cm electric field which is much higher than the BCZT synthesized by the traditional solid-state reaction method. All measurements indicate the effect of aging temperature on ceramic properties is related to the grain size and the degree of diffusion.

Automated summary

A series of BCZT ceramics were fabricated using the sol-gel method with different aging temperatures. The samples exhibited significant improvements in structure, dielectric property, and energy storage property compared to those synthesized by the traditional solid-state reaction method. The optimal BCZT sample with an aging temperature of 60°C showed high permittivity and low dielectric loss, and it achieved a higher energy storage efficiency at 40 kV/cm electric field.