Examination of structural, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of 0.9ATiO3-0.1Bi(Li0.5Nb0.5)O3 [A = Ba, Sr or Ca] Ceramics for Energy storage applications

Strong dielectric and ferroelectric behaviour making lead-free perovskite ceramics interesting for energy storage applications. This study involved the synthesis by the traditional solid-state reaction method and characterization of ceramics 0.9BaTiO3-0.1Bi(Li0.5Nb0.5)O3 [0.9BT-0.1BLN], 0.9SrTiO3-0.1Bi(Li0.5Nb0.5)O3 [0.9ST-0.1BLN], and 0.9CaTiO3-0.1Bi(Li0.5Nb0.5)O3 [0.9CT-0.1BLN]. While field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed tiny and large grains are present with porosity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) with Rietveld refinement revealed single-phase perovskite structures. The Havriliak-Negami (H-N) model provided a good fit for the frequency-dependent dispersion of real (e') and imaginary (e") components of dielectric constant observed in dielectric investigations for 0.9ST-0.1BLN, confirming Debye relaxation. At 1Hz and 300 ℃, 0.9CT-0.1BLN exhibited the largest e' » 212466 and moderate dielectric loss (tand » 27.6827). Hoping transport was facilitated by conductivity following Jonscher’s universal power law and grain and grain boundary contributions were distinguished by impedance and electric modulus studies. Energy storage potential was shown using ferroelectric polarization-electric field (P-E) loops, with 0.9ST-0.1BLN obtaining the moderate efficiency (h »53.22 %), maximum recoverable energy storage density (Wrec » 103.25 mJ/cm3), and dielectric breakdown strength (DBS » 76.62 kV/cm). These findings demonstrate that 0.9ST-0.1BLN is a highly promising option for modern energy storage devices, although 0.9BT-0.1BLN and 0.9CT-0.1BLN are still appropriate for advance dielectric and capacitor-based applications.