Achieving ultra-short discharge time and high energy density in lead-based antiferroelectric ceramics by A-site substitution

Antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramic capacitors are promising candidates for energy storage applications in advanced pulsed power capacitors (APPCs) due to the high-power density. Nevertheless, the incompatibility between discharge time and energy storage density limits their practical application in APPCs. Herein, we present ultra short discharge time and high energy density performances of (Pb1-1.5xSmx)(Zr0.6Sn0.4)O-3 AFE ceramics by A-site Sm modification strategy. Ultrafast discharge rate (t0.9) of ~ 57.1 ns and high recoverable energy density of ~11.2 J/cm(3) (energy efficiency of 85.1%) at 400 kV/cm are achieved simultaneously in (Pb0.94Sm0.04)(Zr0.6Sn0.4) O(3 )ceramic. The t(0.9) of AFE ceramics directly related to phase-switching fields, which is confirmed by variable electric field test. Sm modification is contribution to enhancing the interaction among the ions by reduction of tolerance factor, and strengthening phase-switching fields, leading to improving the stability of AFE state, which is confirmed by XRD, Raman, SEM, XPS profiles and P-E curves. As a result, the t0.9 is decreased from 87.2 to 51.1 ns, corresponding to large discharge energy density (~ 9.7 J/cm(3)) owing to high breakdown strength by refining average grain sizes with increasing Sm content. Meanwhile, this ceramic has good fatigue resistance in terms of frequency and temperature. These results would provide a reliable strategy for the design and application of APPCs.