Dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Ba(ZrxTi1−x)O3 ceramics

It is known that Curie temperature of barium titanate system can be altered by the substitution of dopants into either A- or B-site. Dopants could pinch transition temperature, lower Curie temperature, and raise the rhombohedral–orthorhombic and orthorhombic–tetragonal phase transition close to room temperature. This isovalent substitution could improve the ferroelectric properties of the BaTiO3-based system. In this study, barium zirconate titanate Ba(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (BZT; x = 0, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.08) ceramics were prepared by conventionally mixed-oxide method. The ferroelectric properties of BZT ceramics were investigated. Increasing Zr content in the BaTiO3-based compositions caused a decrease in Curie temperature (Tc). At Tc, the highest relative permittivity of BZT with an addition of 0.08 mol% of Zr was 12,780. The BZT specimens with the additions of 0.05 mol% and 0.08 mol% of Zr presented the remanent polarization at 25 μC/cm2 and 30 μC/cm2, respectively.