AUTHOR=Khan Azam , Gul Noor Shad , Luo Mao , Wu Jianbo , Khan Shahan Zeb , Manan Abdul , Wang Xiu-Jian , Khan Taj Malook 

TITLE=Fabrication of a lead-free ternary ceramic system for high energy storage applications in dielectric capacitors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2022.1025030

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2022.1025030

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=The importance of electro-ceramics is well-recognized in applications of high energy storage density of dielectric ceramics capacitors. Despite the excellent properties, lead-free alternatives are highly desirous owing to environment friendliness for energy storage applications. Herein, we provide a facile synthesis of lead-free ferroelectric ceramics perovskite material demonstrating enhanced energy storage density. The ceramics material with a series of composition (1-z) (0.94Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 –0.06BaTiO3)-zNd0.33NbO3, denoted as NBT-BT-zNN, where, z = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 is synthesized by a conventional solid state mix oxides route. Micro phases, microstructures and energy storage characteristics of the as-synthesized ceramics compositions were determined by advanced ceramics techniques. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis reveals pure single perovskite phases for z = 0 and 0.02, and secondary phases of Bi2Ti2O7 appeared for z = 0.04 and 0.08. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrates packed shaped microstructures with reduced grain size for these ceramics compositions. The coercive field (Ec) and remnant polarization (Pr) deduced from polarization vs electric field hysteresis loops determined by an LCR meter, demonstrated decreasing trends with increasing z content for each composition. Consequently, maximum energy storage density 3.2 J/cm3, recoverable store energy 2.01 J/cm3 and efficiency 62.5% were obtained for z content of 2 mol% by applied electric field of 250 kV/cm, demonstrated  a worthy opening in the developments of high temperature sustainable energy storage perovskite for dielectric capacitors. This work shows a feasible idea of modifying a binary ceramics composition into ternary system with highly enhanced energy storage characteristics by incorporating rare earth metals with transition metal oxides in an appropriate proportions via as above mentioned method.