Effect of Ba0.91Ca0.09Ti0.916Sn0.084O3 on the microstructure and electrical properties of Bi0.5(Na0.925Li0.075)0.5TiO3 ceramics

(1− x )[Bi 0.5 (Na 0.925 Li 0.075 ) 0.5 ]TiO 3 – x Ba 0.91 Ca 0.09 Ti 0.916 Sn 0.084 O 3 [(1− x )BNLT– x BCTS] ceramics were prepared by the conventional sintering method in order to study the effects of BCTS content on their microstructure and electrical properties. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the BCTS diffuses into the BNLT lattice to form a solid solution. Their grain size decreases with increasing BCTS content. The macro–micro domain switching model of relaxor ferroelectrics was used to explain their abnormal temperature dependence of the dielectric loss. A better dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric behavior is demonstrated in the ceramic with x =0.06. (1− x )BNLT– x BCTS ceramics with x =0.06 have an optimum electrical behavior of d 33 ∼185 pC/N, k p ∼33.1 %, ε r ∼1335, tan δ ∼0.026, P r ∼26.7 μC/cm 2 , and E c ∼16.2 kV/cm. As a result, the introduction of BCTS to BNLT is an effective way to enhance piezoelectric properties.