Conduction mechanism of grain oriented Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 ceramics fabricated by a hot-forging method

We have fabricated ordinary fired (OF) and grain oriented Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 (HF[perpendicular to], HF[//]) samples by a hot-forging technique. The grain orientation factor F calculated from X-ray diffraction patterns of the c-axis oriented Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12-HF[//] sample is determined to be above 90%. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 ceramics with different grain orientation have been investigated as a function of temperature. The a-b axis oriented Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12-HF[perpendicular to] sample had an enhanced dielectric constant (1163 at T-c) and ferroelectric properties (P-r similar to 32 mu C/cm(2)). The electrical conductivity of BNT ceramic has been studied as a function of temperature in order to investigate the conduction mechanism with different grain orientations.