Structural, dielectric, electrocaloric and energy storage properties of lead free Ba0.975La0.017(ZrxTi0.95-x)Sn0.05O3 (x = 0.05; 0.20) ceramics

A-site deficient Ba0.975La0.0170.008(ZrxTi0.95-x)Sn0.05O3 (x = 0.05; 0.20) ceramics (BLaZ100xTS) were synthesized using the solid-state reaction. The microstructural study revealed a high density and low porosity in the studied ceramics. Besides, a grain size lower than 1.5 μm was observed in the studied compounds, which is due to the incorporation of the rare earth element (lanthanum). X-ray diffraction and Raman studies revealed that BLaZ5TS and BLaZ20TS crystallize in a perovskite-type structure with tetragonal and cubic symmetries, respectively. The dielectric study showed a normal ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition for BLaZ5TS while a diffuse phase transition is noticed for BLaZ20TS sample. The energy-storage density and the associated energy efficiency were determined from the P-E loops versus temperature and the calculated values are comparable with the results obtained on BCZT systems. Furthermore, the adiabatic temperature change ΔT was calculated through the indirect method and a relatively high value of ΔT/ΔE = 0.2 10−6 K m/V is obtained in BLaZ5TS compound. The simultaneous presence of energy storage property and electrocaloric responsivity makes this system a promising environmentally friendly candidate for application in electronic devices. •Solid state synthesis of Ba0.975La0.0170.0085(ZrxTi0.95-x)Sn0.05O3 ceramics.•Samples with x = 0.05 and 0.2 crystallize in tetragonal and cubic symmetries, respectively.•Ferroelectric behavior for x = 0.05 and diffuse phase transition for x = 0.2 are observed.•High ΔT/ΔE = 0.2 × 10−6 K m/V and enhanced Wrec are obtained at RT for x = 0.05.