Microstructural and piezoelectric properties of low temperature sintering PMN-PZT ceramics with the amount of Li2CO3 addition

PMN-PZT ceramics doped with Li₂CO₃ and Bi₂O₃ as sintering aids were manufactured in order to develop the low temperature sintering ceramics for multilayer piezoelectric transformer, and their micro structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties were investigated. The sintering aids were proved to lower the sintering temperature of doped PMN-PZT ceramics due to the effect of LiBiO₂ liquid phase. Optimal values for multilayer piezoelectric transformer application, such as electromechanical coupling factor (k_p) of 0.50, mechanical quality factor (Q_m) of 2264, and dielectric constant (K) of 1216, and curie temperature (T_c) of 317 °C were found at 0.1 wt.% Li₂CO₃ added ceramics sintered at 940 °C.     

Glass-free LTCC microwave dielectric ceramics

The sintering behavior, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of complex pyrophosphate compounds AMP₂O₇ (A = Ca, Sr; M = Zn, Cu) were investigated in this paper. All compounds could be densified below the temperature of 950 °C without any glass addition, and exhibit low permittivity (_r < 8), high Q × f value and negative temperature coefficient of resonant frequency. The Q × f value was discussed from the point of view of bond strength. The chemical compatibility with silver and copper was also investigated. All compounds seriously react with silver at 700 °C. However SrZnP₂O₇ could be co-fired with copper in reduced atmosphere. The microwave dielectric properties of SrZnP₂O₇ sintered at 950 °C in reducing atmosphere are: _r = 7.06, Q × f = 52781 GHz, τ_f = −70 ppm/°C. In terms of its lower sintering temperature, chemical compatibility with copper and good microwave dielectric properties, SrZnP₂O₇ ceramic is very promising for low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) applications.     

Improved high-Q microwave dielectric resonator using CuO-doped MgNb2O6 ceramics

The microwave dielectric properties and the microstructures of MgNb₂O₆ ceramics with CuO additions (1-4 wt.%) prepared with conventional solid-state route have been investigated. The sintered samples exhibit excellent microwave dielectric properties, which depend upon the liquid phase and the sintering temperature. It is found that MgNb₂O₆ ceramics can be sintered at 1140 °C due to the liquid phase effect of CuO addition. At 1170 °C, MgNb₂O₆ ceramics with 2 wt.% CuO addition possesses a dielectric constant (ε_r) of 19.9, a Q×f value of 110,000 (at 10 GHz) and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ_f) of −44 ppm/°C. The CuO-doped MgNb₂O₆ ceramics can find applications in microwave devices requiring low sintering temperature.     

Microwave dielectric characteristics of Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 ceramics sintered at low-temperatures

The microwave dielectric properties and microstructures of Ba(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃ (BMT) ceramics sintered at low temperatures with 2–3 wt.% NaF additives were investigated. BMT ceramics sintered at 1340 °C for 3–12 h showed dielectric constants (_r) of 25.5–25.7, Qf values of 41 500–50 400 GHz and temperature coefficients of the resonator frequency (τ_f) of 10.9–21.4 ppm °C⁻¹. The variation of sintering time almost had no effect on the dielectric constant. The Qf value increased and the τ_f decreased with increasing sintering time. The ordering degree of Mg²⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ at B-sites increased with increasing sintering time.     

Synthesis, phase transformation and dielectric properties of sol–gel derived Bi2Ti2O7 ceramics

Sol–gel derived Bi₂Ti₂O₇ ceramic powders have been prepared from methoxyethoxides of bismuth and titanium (molar ratio of Ti/Bi = 1.23 and water/alkoxides = 1.31). The Bi₂Ti₂O₇ phase was stable at a low temperature (700 °C), but it then transformed into mixed phases of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ and Bi₂Ti₄O₁₁ at 850–1150 °C. The single phase of Bi₂Ti₂O₇ reoccurred at 1200 °C. Dielectric properties and ferroelectric behavior of samples sintered at 1150 and 1200 °C were examined. Under frequency of 1 MHz, samples sintered at 1150 and 1200 °C had a dielectric constant of 101.3 and 104.2, and a loss tangent of 0.0193 and 0.0145, respectively. Only the sample sintered at 1150 °C showed ferroelectric behavior, where remanent polarization is 3.77 μC cm⁻² and coercive field is 24 kV cm⁻¹. Thus, the Bi₂Ti₂O₇ did not exhibit ferroelectricity, but the mixed phase of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ and Bi₂Ti₄O₁₁ did.     

A simple and an effective method for the fabrication of densified glass-ceramics of low temperature co-fired ceramics

This study reports a new, simple and effective pre-calcined method for fabrication BaO–TiO₂–B₂O₃–SiO₂ low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) at a sintering temperature below 900 °C, and with dielectric losses (tan δ) lower than 2 × 10⁻³. The research results have shown that the addition of 2–5 wt% Al₂O₃ could easily eliminate the porosity of the glass-ceramics because of the excellent wetting behavior between alumina and the BaO–B₂O₃–SiO₂ glass liquid phase in the low temperature co-fired ceramic system.     

Influence of Mn doping on microstructure and DC-accelerated aging behaviors of ZnO–V2O5-based varistors

The microstructure, electrical properties, dielectric characteristics, and DC-accelerated aging behavior of the ZnO–V₂O₅–MnO₂ system sintered were investigated for MnO₂ content of 0.0–2.0 mol% by sintering at 900 °C. For all samples, the microstructure of the ZnO–V₂O₅–MnO₂ system consisted of mainly ZnO grain and secondary phase Zn₃(VO₄)₂. The incorporation of MnO₂ to the ZnO–V₂O₅ system was found to restrict the abnormal grain growth of ZnO. The nonlinear properties and stability against DC-accelerated aging stress improved with the increase of MnO₂ content. The ZnO–V₂O₅–MnO₂ system added with MnO₂ content of 2.0 mol% exhibited not only a high nonlinearity, in which the nonlinear coefficient is 27.2 and the leakage current density is 0.17 mA/cm², but also a good stability, in which %ΔE_1 mA = −0.6%, %Δ = −26.1%, and %Δtan δ = +22% for DC-accelerated aging stress of 0.85E_1 mA/85 °C/24 h.     

V_2O_5与Al_2O_3复合改性CaSiO_3陶瓷的烧结性能与微波介电性能

为降低CaSiO3陶瓷的烧结温度,通过在CaSiO3粉体中添加1wt%的Al2O3以及不同量的V2O5,探讨了V2O5添加量对CaSiO3陶瓷烧结性能、微观结构及微波介电性能的影响规律。结果表明:适量地添加V2O5除了能将V2O5-Al2O3/CaSiO3陶瓷的烧结温度从1 250℃降低至1 000℃外,还能抑制CaSiO3陶瓷晶粒异常长大并细化陶瓷晶粒。在烧结过程中,V2O5将熔化并以液相润湿作用促进CaSiO3陶瓷的致密化进程;同时,部分V2O5还会挥发,未挥发完全的V2O5将与基体材料反应生成第二相,第二相的出现将大幅降低陶瓷的品质因数。综合考虑陶瓷的烧结性能与微波介电性能,当V2O5添加量为6wt%时,V2O5-Al2O3/CaSiO3陶瓷在1 075℃下烧结2h后具有良好的综合性能,其介电常数为7.38,品质因数为21 218GHz。     

Bi2O3助熔剂对CaO-B2O3-SiO2/Al2O3玻璃陶瓷复合材料性能的影响

以CaO-B₂O₃-SiO₂(CBS)玻璃粉体和Al₂O₃陶瓷粉体为原料,通过在CBS与Al₂O₃的质量比固定为50:50的玻璃-陶瓷复合材料中添加适量的Bi₂O₃作为烧结助熔剂,探讨了Bi₂O₃助熔剂对CBS/Al₂O₃复合材料的烧结性能、介电性能、抗弯强度和热膨胀系数的影响规律.研究表明:Bi₂O₃助熔剂能通过降低CBS玻璃的转变温度和黏度促进CBS/Al₂O₃复合材料的致密化进程,于880 ℃下烧结即能获得结构较致密、气孔较少的CBS/Al₂O₃复合材料.然而,过量添加Bi₂O₃将使玻璃的黏度过低,从而恶化CBS/Al₂O₃复合材料的烧结性能、介电性能及抗弯强度.当Bi₂O₃的添加量为CBS/Al₂O₃复合材料的1.5wt%时,于880 ℃下烧结即能获得最为致密的CBS/Al₂O₃复合材料,密度为2.82 g·cm^-3,这一材料具有良好的介电性能(介电常数为7.21,介电损耗为1.06×10^-3),抗弯强度为190.34 MPa,0~300 ℃的热膨胀系数为3.52×10^-6 K^-1.     

Characterization and dielectric behavior of CuO-doped ZnTa2O6 ceramics at microwave frequency

The effects of CuO addition on the microstructures and microwave dielectric properties of ZnTa₂O₆ ceramics were investigated. CuO was selected as a liquid-phase sintering aid to lower the sintering temperature of ZnTa₂O₆ ceramics. With CuO addition, the sintering temperature of ZnTa₂O₆ can be effectively reduced from 1350 to 1230 °C. The crystalline phase exhibited no phase difference and no second phase was detected at low addition levels (0.25-1 wt.%). The quality factors Q × f were strongly dependent upon the CuO concentration. A Q × f value of 65,500 GHz was obtained for specimen with 0.25 wt.% CuO addition at 1230 °C. For all levels of CuO concentration, the relative dielectric constants were not significantly different and ranged from 34.2 to 35.7. Tunable temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ_f) can be adjusted to zero by appropriately turning the CuO content.     

Microstructure and piezoelectric properties of (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with V2O5 addition

Various amounts of Nb₂O₅ in the (Na_0.5K_0.5) NbO₃ (NKN) ceramic were replaced by V₂O₅ to decrease its sintering temperature to below 950°C. A small V₂O₅ content resulted in a dense microstructure with an increased grain size for the specimen sintered at 900°C due to the presence of a liquid phase. When V₂O₅ was added to the NKN ceramics, their orthorhombic-to-tetragonal transition temperature increased from 178°C to around 200°C. However, their Curie temperature decreased from 402°C to around 330°C. The k_p, _ε3 ^T/_ε0, and Q_m values increased with V₂O₅ addition, probably due to the increased density and poling state, which was identified by the phase angle. The specimen with x = 0.05, sintered at 900°C for 8 h, exhibited the following piezoelectric properties: k_p = 0.32, _ε3 ^T/_ε0 = 245, d₃₃ = 120 (pC/N), and Q_m = 232.     

Ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of potassium lanthanum bismuth titanate K0.5La0.5Bi4Ti4O15 ceramics

The Aurivillius type bismuth layer-structured compound potassium lanthanum bismuth titanate (K_0.5La_0.5Bi₄Ti₄O₁₅) is synthesized using conventional solid-state processing. The phase analysis is performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the microstructural morphology is conducted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of K_0.5La_0.5Bi₄Ti₄O₁₅ (KLBT) ceramics are investigated in detail. The remnant polarization (P_r) and coercive field (E_c) are found to be 8.6 μC cm⁻² and 60 kV cm⁻¹, respectively. The Curie temperature T_c and piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ are 413 °C and 18 pC N⁻¹, respectively.     

MgO/SrO/La2O3多元添加对(Zr0.8Sn0.2)TiO4微波陶瓷结构性能影响

基于液相促进固相反应烧结机制, 设计MgO/SrO/La₂O₃多元复合添加(Zr_0.8Sn_0.2)TiO₄(ZST)体系, 探究复合添加剂对ZST陶瓷的物相组成、微观结构、烧结特性以及高频介电性能等参数的影响。实验结果表明: 陶瓷的主晶相均为ZST相; 适量添加MgO/SrO/La₂O₃可以有效地降低ZST陶瓷的烧结温度, 获得较优的微波介电性能; 但MgO添加量的增多对材料的综合性能有小幅度的影响; SrO的添加量过大会造成晶粒的不完全生长、瓷体不致密和气孔的增多, 从而导致材料的密度、介电常数和Q×f值的下降; 此外, 添加剂对陶瓷的频率温度系数(τ_f)影响不大。在复合添加0.2wt%MgO、0.6wt%SrO、1.0wt%La₂O₃时, 1300℃保温5 h的ZST陶瓷综合性能优异: ρ=5.14 g/cm³, ε_r=40.11, Q×f=51000 GHz (f=5.61 GHz), τ_f=-2.85×10^-6℃^-1。     

Vacuum heat treatment of LiAlO2 densified silicon nitride ceramics

The aim of the present work has been to produce high-dense Si₃N₄ ceramics by a cheaper pressureless sintering method and then to attain vacuum heat treatment to remove residual grain boundary glass in gaseous form. LiAlO₂ was used as a sintering additive rather than using Li₂O, since its grain boundary glass is not stable above 1200 °C. LiAlO₂ was synthesised from 42% Li₂CO₃ and 58% Al₂O₃ powder mix reacting together at 1450 °C for 3 h in a muffle furnace. X-ray analysis showed that 95% LiAlO₂ was obtained. LiAlO₂ was milled and added to silicon nitride powder as a sintering additive. Hot-pressing and pressureless sintering of LiAlO₂ containing Si₃N₄ compacts were carried out at temperatures between 1450–1750 °C. The sintered samples were vacuum heat-treated at elevated temperatures under high vacuum to remove intergranular glass and to increase refractoriness of Si₃N₄ ceramics. Scanning electron microscope images and weight loss results showed that Li in grain boundary glass (Li–Al–Si–O–N) was successfully volatilised, and oxidation resistance of the sintered samples was increased.     

Raman scattering study on ferroelectric (Ba0.32Sr0.68)2Nb2O7 ceramics

Raman scattering technique was applied to examine the Ba-doping effect to the two low temperature phase transitions of Sr₂Nb₂O₇ (SN) in the temperature range from −190 to 600 °C. The line shape of Raman spectra can be well fitted by multidamped harmonic oscillator model. We did not observe any soft mode related to the two low temperature phase transitions corresponding to those of the pure SN. It is correlated to the disappearance of the incommensurate phase in (Ba_0.32Sr_0.68)₂Nb₂O₇ ceramics. However, the temperature dependence behavior of the three low frequency modes indicates another new structural phase transition around 270 °C. It is considered that the reduction of the interlayer interaction caused by partial replacement of Sr-site by Ba-site, whose ionic radius is larger than that of Sr, may be the reason for the disappearance of the incommensurate phase transition in (Ba_0.32Sr_0.68)₂Nb₂O₇ ceramics.     

Effect of β-spodumene on the phase development in an alumina/aluminium-titanate system

The effect of β-spodumene additions on the in situ phase formation and abundances in an Al₂O₃–Al₂TiO₅ system in the temperature range 1000–1400 °C has been studied by neutron diffraction and differential thermal analysis. Results show that β-spodumene began to decompose by phase separation and partial melting at 1290 °C, followed by complete melting at 1330 °C. Formation of Al₂TiO₅ was observed to occur at 1310 °C and its abundance increased with temperature. The addition of β-spodumene as a sintering aid did not cause its reaction with alumina or rutile to form additional phases. Addition of β-spodumene in excess of 5 wt% resulted in pronounced vitrification, which partly recrystallised when cooled to room temperature. The temperatures of Al₂TiO₅ formation and melting of β-spodumene are consistent with the results of differential thermal analysis.     

Deposition and dielectric properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates using pulsed-laser deposition

CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) thin films were successfully deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrates using pulsed-laser deposition technique. The crystalline structure and the surface morphology of the CCTO thin films were greatly affected by the substrate temperature and oxygen pressure. Thin films with a (2 2 0) preferential orientation were obtained at the substrate temperature above 700 °C and oxygen pressure above 13.3 Pa. The 480-nm thin films deposited under 720 °C and 26.6 Pa have a fairly high dielectric constant of near 2000 at 10 kHz and room temperature. The values of the dielectric constant and loss and their temperature-dependence under different frequency are comparable with those obtained in the epitaxial CCTO films grown on oxide substrates.     

Low-temperature sintering of temperature-stable LaNbO4 microwave dielectric ceramics

We demonstrate the correlation between sintering behavior and microstructural observations in low-temperature sintered, LaNbO₄ microwave ceramics. Small CuO additions to LaNbO₄ significantly lowered the sintering temperature from 1250 to 950 °C. To elucidate the sintering mechanism, the internal microstructure of the sample manipulated by a focused ion beam (FIB) was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). LaNbO₄ with 3 wt% CuO sintered at 950 °C for 2 h possessed the following excellent microwave dielectric properties: a quality factor (Qxf) of 49,000 GHz, relative dielectric constant (?_r) of 19.5, and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ_f) of 1 ppm/°C. The ferroelastic phase transformation was also investigated using in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) to explain the variation of τ_f in low-temperature sintered LaNbO₄ as a function of CuO content.     

Low temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of SmAlO3 ceramics

The effects of sintering aids on the microstructures and microwave dielectric properties of SmAlO₃ ceramics were investigated. CuO and ZnO were selected as sintering aids to lower the sintering temperature of SmAlO₃ ceramics. With the additions, the sintering temperature of SmAlO₃ can be effectively reduced from 1650 to 1430°C. The crystalline phase exhibited no phase differences at low addition level while Sm₄Al₂O₉ appeared as a second phase as the doping level was over 0.5 wt.%. In spite of the additions, the dielectric constants showed no significant change and ranged 19-21. However, the quality factor Q×f was strongly dependent upon the type and amount of additions. The Q×f values of 51,000 and 41,000 GHz could be obtained at 1430°C with 0.25 wt.% CuO and ZnO additions, respectively. The temperature coefficients depended on the additions and varied from −40 to −65 ppm/°C. Results of X-ray diffractions, EDS analysis and scanning electron microscopy were also presented.     

Microwave dielectric properties and microstructures of CuO- and ZnO-doped LaAlO3 ceramics

The microwave dielectric properties and the microstructures of 0.25 wt.% CuO-doped LaAlO₃ ceramics with ZnO additions have been investigated. The sintered LaAlO₃ ceramics are characterized by X-ray diffraction spectra and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Tremendous reduction in sintering temperature can be achieved with the addition of sintering aids CuO and ZnO. The ceramic samples show that dielectric constants (ε_r) of 22−24 and Q×f values of 33,000−57,000 (at 9.7 GHz) can be obtained at low sintering temperatures 1340−1460°C. The temperature coefficient of resonant frequency varies from −24 to −48 ppm/°C. At the level of 0.25 wt.% CuO and 1 wt.% ZnO additions, LaAlO₃ ceramics possesses a dielectric constant (ε_r) of 23.4, a Q×f value of 57,000 (at 9.7 GHz) and a τ_f value of −38 ppm/°C at 1400°C for 2 h.