Influence of Sn4+ substitution for Zr4+ in Nd2Zr3(MoO4)9 and the impact on the crystal structure and microwave dielectric properties

•Low-sintered Nd2(Zr1−xSnx)3(MoO4)9 ceramics were prepared successfully.•Rietveld refinement was used to obtain the lattice parameters.•Relationships between intrinsic factors and dielectric properties were investigated.•Performance of Nd2Zr3(MoO4)9 ceramics was improved by the doping of Sn4+. [Display omitted] In this work, Nd2(Zr1-xSnx)3(MoO4)9 (0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) (NZSM) ceramics were successfully obtained through conventional solid-state route. Phase analysis, microstructure, and properties were investigated scientifically by XRD, SEM, and network analyzer, respectively. XRD results revealed that all samples with different substitution amounts of Sn4+ formed the pure phase with R-3c space group. The permittivity was related to the polarizability and the bond of Zr2-O5, the bond of Nd-O2 possessed a positive influence on Q×f. The reduced octahedral distortion and increased bond energy made the temperature coefficient more stable. Infrared reflection spectrum results showed that the permittivity was mainly caused by the absorption of phonon oscillation. The optimum properties (εr = 10.34, Q×f = 74,795 GHz, τf = −13.55 ppm/°C) were obtained when x = 0.02 sintered at 750 °C.