Microstructure and dielectric properties of BST/MZO ceramic composites for tunable microwave applications

Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃/Mg_0.9Zn_0.1O (BST/MZO) ceramic composites with different MZO contents were prepared by traditional ceramic process. The crystal structure, fracture surface morphology, and dielectric properties were systematically investigated. The results show that the BST/MZO ceramic composites possess diphase structure, dense, and uniform morphology. The composites have relatively low dielectric loss (in the order of 10⁻³) at microwave frequency. The ceramics all retain substantial tunability (more than 20% at 8 kV/mm DC field) and excellent dielectric strength (more than 19.5 kV/mm). The BST-50 wt% MZO sample has the optimal FOM value (about 256) and should be a better candidate for tunable microwave applications.