Lanthanides effects on the ferroelectric and energy-storage properties of (Na0.5Bi0.5)0.94Ba0.06TiO3 ceramic: Comparative approach

Abstract In this work, (Na0.5Bi0.5)0.94Ba0.06TiO3 ceramic doped with three lanthanides La3+, Gd3+, Ho3+ were prepared and investigated the corresponding structural, vibrational, ferroelectric and energy storage properties. The X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra reveal a pure perovskite with the coexistence of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases at room temperature for all samples. The thermal dependence of the dielectric constant shows a ferroelectric/antiferroelectric phase transition around Td, confirmed by the change in the shape of P-E hysteresis loops for all samples. We found that the optimal piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties were obtained in the ceramic doped with Ho3+. Furthermore, the later sample revealed relatively remarkable features of energy storage density with temperature, reaching a maximum of 0.63 J/cm3 around 100 °C. The results discussed in this work highlight the great potential of the doped NBT-6BT based lead-free ceramics.