Sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of Bi2O3–ZnO–Nb2O5-based ceramics sintered under air and N2 atmosphere

The sintering behavior and dielectric properties of the monoclinic zirconolite-like structure compound Bi2(Zn1/3Nb2/3)2O7 (BZN) and Bi2(Zn1/3Nb2/3−xVx)2O7 (BZNV, x = 0.001) sintered under air and N2 atmosphere were investigated. The pure phase were obtained between 810 and 990 °C both for BZN and BZNV ceramics. The substitution of V2O5 and N2 atmosphere accelerated the densification of ceramics slightly. The influences on microwave dielectric properties from different atmosphere were discussed in this work. The best microwave properties of BZN ceramics were obtained at 900 °C under N2 atmosphere with ɛr = 76.1, Q = 850 and Qf = 3260 GHz while the best properties of BZNV ceramics were got at 930 °C under air atmosphere with ɛr = 76.7, Q = 890 and Qf = 3580 GHz. The temperature coefficient of resonant frequency τf was not obviously influenced by the different atmospheres. For BZN ceramics the τf was −79.8 ppm/°C while τf is −87.5 ppm/°C for BZNV ceramics.