Thermal stability of dielectric and energy storage performances of Ca-substituted BNTZ ferroelectric ceramics

In this study, we synthesized [Cax(Bi0.5Na0.5)(1-x)](Ti085Zr0.15)O-3 (Ca-substituted BNTZ) ferroelectric ceramics with x = 0-0.15 using a solid-state reaction technique. The structural evolution of Ca-substituted BNTZ was revealed by X-ray diffraction combined with Rietveld crystal structure refinement. A pseudocubic structure with P4bm symmetry is suggested for all Ca-substituted BNTZ samples. Temperature-dependent dielectric properties show a clear and broad dielectric peak of approximately 340 degrees C. The dielectric peak becomes even wider, and the thermal stability of the permittivity is dramatically improved when x gradually increases. In the x = 0.10 composition, the permittivity at 25-450 degrees C varies between +5% and-14.5%. A recoverable energy storage density (W-rec) of 2.79 J/cm(3) with an energy storage efficiency (eta) of 76% was achieved in the x = 0.07 composition, which suggests superior properties over other BNT-based systems. In addition, the compositions of x = 0.07, 0.10 and 0.15 show excellent thermal stability of Wrec and eta. This work proves that the thermal stability of dielectric and energy storage performances in BNT-based ferroelectric ceramics can be achieved by introducing ions without contributing to the polarization.