Dielectric properties of lead barium zirconate titanate-based relaxors for power electronics applications

In this study, we examined the effects of niobium oxide and lanthanum oxide dopants on the dielectric properties of a lead barium zirconate titanate (PBZT) relaxor material. Specifically, our goal was to maximize PBZT´s dielectric constant (>6000) while maintaining its stability under DC electric field for filter capacitor applications. Our results showed that the Nb addition did not have a significant effect on the dielectric behavior of PBZT, except the 1% Nb addition which increased the PBZT´s dielectric constant by 17%. The cause of the increase is speculated in this article. On the other hand, the La addition caused a monotonic decrease of dielectric constant and a significant shift of the dielectric peaks toward low temperature.