Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of cerium-modified lead barium niobate ceramics

In this work, cerium-modified PBN65 ceramic compositions (Ce varied from 0 to 10 mol%) were fabricated and studied for the phase formation, density, dielectric and piezoelectric properties. The XRD results showed the presence of single orthorhombic phase and its intensity increased with the increasing Ce content in the series. Ce-modified PBN65 ceramic compositions had significant dielectric behaviour and the Curie temperature continuously decreased. The optimum room temperature dielectric constant (1250) along with low Curie temperature (293 degrees C) and low dielectric loss (0.04) were observed in 6 mol% Ce-modified lead barium niobate (PBN) ceramic. The influence of Ce on piezoelectric properties of PBN system hits been evaluated. The piezoelectric coefficients (d, g, k and Q(m)) were characterized. The 6 mol% Ce-modified PBN composition exhibited optimum piezoelectric properties in the series, and this composition could be suitable for piezoelectric sensor and actuator applications. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.