Dielectric and impedance spectroscopic study of lithium doped potassium tantalum niobium oxide

The (K_0.90Li_0.10) (Nb_0.80Ta_0.20)_0.99Mn_0.01O₃ (KLTN) ceramic has been synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction route. The Rietveld refinement X-Ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the single-phase orthorhombic crystal structure with space group Amm2. The frequency dependent electrical properties were examined by the complex dielectric and impedance spectroscopy in the temperature range 30 °C–500 °C where multiple structural phase transition was observed with high dielectric constant, low tangent loss and well saturated electric polarization. The shifting of the ferroelectric phase transition temperature by 30 °C in heating and cooling mode suggests the irreversible motion of the domains and domain walls and significant effects on grain boundaries on structural phase transition temperature. A series of phase transitions from orthorhombic to tetragonal (～190 °C) and tetragonal to Cubic (～390 °C in cooling and 420 °C in heating) have been obtained in the wide range of temperature. The different type of analogy such as Modulus formalism, complex impedance spectra, frequency dependent conductivity, the activation energy of charge carriers has been used to understand the microstructure-electrical properties relation.