Effect of CuO modification on dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of lead-free SrBi4Ti4O15 ceramics

We report a systematic investigation of the structure, micro-structure, dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of CuO added SrBi4Ti4O15 ceramics. All the samples were prepared by solid state reaction technique, where the wt% of CuO in SrBi4Ti4O15 was varied as x = 0, 0.05, 0.2, 0.5. The addition of CuO increased the density of SrBi4Ti4O15 ceramics which in turn resulted in the improvement of dielectric, ferroelectric as well as piezoelectric properties. However, no change either in the crystal structure or lattice parameter was observed with CuO addition. Further a dense micro-structure with improved electrical properties is expected to be due to liquid phase sintering. Raman spectra and specific heat measurements were also performed for getting further insight into the properties.