Energy storage and piezoelectric properties of lead‐free SrTiO3-modified 0.965Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–0.035BaTiO3 ceramics

This manuscript reports the synthesis and piezoelectric properties of strontium titanate, SrTiO 3 -modified bismuth sodium titanate-barium titanate, 0.965Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 –0.035BaTiO 3, (BNBT- x ST, x = 0.00−0.30) ceramics produced by facile low temperature sol–gel and hydrothermal methods. Close inspection of the X-ray diffraction profile through Rietveld refinement indicates ST modification in BNBT leads to a phase transition from the dominant rhombohedral phase to a single tetragonal phase. This structural transition leads to enhancement of electromechanical and energy storage properties. A large dynamic piezoelectric coefficient ( d * 33 = 350 pC/V) was observed for BNBT-0.1ST sample. High energy storage density ( W rec = 0.37) and large energy storage efficiency ( η = 75%) were observed at 75 °C for the BNBT-0.3ST sample. The energy storage response of the tunable ferrorelectric ceramics suggests their possible use for high-performance dielectric capacitor applications.