Microstructural, structural and electrical properties of La3+-modified Bi4Ti3O12 ferroelectric ceramics

Bi4−xLaxTi3O12 (BLT) ceramics were prepared and studied in this work in terms of La3+-modified microstructure and phase development as well as electrical response. According to the results processed from X-ray diffraction and electrical measurements, the solubility limit (xL) of La3+ into the Bi4Ti3O12 (BIT) matrix was here found to locate slightly above x = 1.5. Further, La3+ had the effect of reducing the material grain size, while changing its morphology from the plate-like form, typical of BIT ceramics, to a spherical-like one. The electrical results presented and discussed here also include the behavior of the temperature of the ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition as well as the normal or diffuse and/or relaxor nature of this transition depending on the La3+ content.