Enhanced electrical properties in Rb-substituted sodium bismuth titanate ceramics

Influence of large ionic radius cation rubidium (Rb) substitution in the A-site of sodium bismuth titanate (NBT) on remnant polarization and dielectric constant is investigated. Substitution of 0.01 mole fraction of Rb in NBT ceramics escalates remnant polarization and dielectric constant coupled with reduction in coercive field and enhanced piezoelectric constant. Spontaneous and remnant polarization of Rb-substituted NBT ceramics is 66.3 and 59.9 µC/cm2 respectively, which is greater than other isovalent substitution cations in NBT that have been reported in the literature. Room-temperature dielectric constant and piezoelectric constant are 704.68 and 88 pC/N successively. Increase in remnant polarization, dielectric constant and piezoelectric constant along with decreased coercive field is attributed to improved mobility of domain reorientation and domain wall motion due to low homogeneous strain and minimum rhombohedral lattice distortion in Rb-substituted NBT ceramics. The present work provides a reproducible preparation of Rb-substituted ceramics to enhance ferroelectric and dielectric properties for use in functional devices which require high reliability.