Effect of barium content on dielectric and energy storage properties of (Pb,La,Ba)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3 ceramics

The effect of barium content on phase development, dielectric property and energy storage performance of (Pb0.925−xLa0.05Bax) (Zr0.52Sn0.39Ti0.09)O3 (PLBZST) ceramics synthesized by a solid state reaction method was investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy micrographs illustrated that the pyrochlore phase was effectively suppressed by the introduction of barium in the (Pb0.925La0.05) (Zr0.52Sn0.39Ti0.09)O3 (PLZST) ceramics. The increase in maximum dielectric constant and the decrease in both transition temperature and switching field with increasing barium content were due to the decrease in the stability of antiferroelectric phase. The energy storage performance of the barium doped PLZST ceramics was studied by measurements of polarization hysteresis loops and discharge curves. The increase of barium content led to the increase of the energy storage density at first and then slight decrease. The study of cyclic charge–discharge showed that barium doped PLZST ceramic capacitor can withstand up to 10,000 cycles with about 8% energy density loss.