Dielectric properties of Ba(Ti1-xZrx)O-3 solid solutions

This paper reports the structural and dielectric properties of Ba(Ti1-xZrx)O-3 (x=0-0.3) ceramics. Single-phase solid solutions of the samples were determined by X-ray diffraction. Microscopic observation by scanning electron microscope revealed dense, single-phase microstructure with large grains (20-60 mu m). The evolution of dielectric behavior from a sharp ferroelecttic peak (for x <= 0.08) to a round dielectric peak (for 0.15 <= x <= 0.25) with pinched phase transitions and successively to a ferroclectric relaxor (for x = 0.3) was observed with increasing Zr concentration. Compared with pure BaTiO3, broaden dielectric peaks with high dielectric constant of 25,000-40,000 and reasonably low loss (tan delta: 0.01-0.06) in the Ba(Ti1-xZrx)O-3 ceramics have been observed, indicating great application potential as a dielectric material. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.