Effects of Ca and Mn Additions on the Microstructure and Dielectric Properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 Ceramics

Dielectric ceramics based on the solid solution (1 − x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT)-xCaTiO3 (CT) were synthesized by the conventional solid-state route. BNT with various contents of CT formed a complete solid solution and exhibited a rhombohedral structure. CT in this solid solution with BNT was observed to decrease the dielectric constant at higher temperatures and raise the dielectric constant at lower temperatures. On the other hand, decreased ferroelectricity was observed with increasing CT concentration, resulting in a downward shift of the depolarization temperature and a decrease of the dissipation factor. With the addition of Mn2+ to 0.86BNT-0.14CT, the temperature characteristics of capacitance were improved (−55°C to 250°C, ΔC/C 25°C ≤ ±15%). By doping with 1.5 wt.% Mn2+, the dielectric constant at room temperature reached over 900, with a dielectric loss of less than 1%.