Electrical properties of sodium and neodymium modified SrBi4Ti4O15 piezoelectric ceramics

Ferroelectric ceramic Sr0.8Na0.1Nd0.1Bi4Ti4O15 (SNNBT) is prepared by solid state reaction method. Single phase formation with orthorhombic structure is confirmed by X- Ray diffraction analysis. Scanning electron micrograph of the ceramic shows the plate like grains of different sizes. Dielectric properties and phase transitions are studied. Relationship of Curie temperature with ionic radii of elements is discussed. Cole-Cole plots of impedance suggest the relaxation to be non-Debye type. The activation energies are obtained in Ferro and Para electric regions from the temperature variation of dc conductivity. Piezoelectric parameters have been measured on well-densified and poled samples. This study shows that SNNBT is a proficient ceramic for applications at high temperatures.