Preparation, Characterization, and Microwave Dielectric Properties of Sr2La3Nb1−x Ta x Ti4O17 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) Ceramics

Sr₂La₃Nb_1?x Ta _x Ti₄O₁₇ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) ceramics were processed via a solid-state mixed oxide route. Sr₂La₃Nb_1?x Ta _x Ti₄O₁₇ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) solid solutions were single phase in the whole range of x values within the x-ray diffraction (XRD) detection limit. The microstructure comprised elongated and needle-shaped grains. The ceramics exhibit relative permittivity (ε _r) of 73 to 68.6, product of unloaded quality factor and resonant frequency (Q _u f ₀) of 7100 GHz to 9500 GHz, and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ _f) of 78.6 ppm/°C to 56.6 ppm/°C.     

Phase, Microstructure, and Microwave Dielectric Properties of NaCa4−x Sr x Nb5O17 (x = 0 to 4) Ceramics

A series of A₅B₅O₁₇-type NaCa_4?x Sr _x Nb₅O₁₇ (x = 0 to 4) compounds were processed through a solid-state mixed-oxide route. All the compositions formed dense single-phase ceramics within the detection limit of an in-house x-ray diffraction facility when sintered at 1300°C. The substitution of Sr for Ca changed the crystal symmetry from monoclinic (x = 0) to orthorhombic (x = 1 to 4) along with a slight increase in molar cell volume due to the relatively larger ionic radius of Sr. The relative permittivity (ε _r) and temperature coefficient of resonance frequency (TCF) increased from 46 to 84 and from ?117 ppm/°C to +377 ppm/°C, respectively, while the quality factor (Q × f) decreased from 11,063 GHz to 559 GHz with an increase in x from 0 to 4. Optimum properties were achieved for NaCa₃SrNb₅O₁₇, which exhibited ε _r = 57, Q × f = 4628 GHz, and TCF = ?41 ppm/°C. Compounds in the NaCa_4?x Sr _x Nb₅O₁₇ series exhibited high ε _r and Q × f with adjustable TCF; however, further work is required for simultaneous optimization of all three properties.     

Synthesis and Microwave Dielectric Properties of SrLa4−x Pr x Ti5O17 (0 ≤ x ≤ 4) Ceramics

Single-phase ceramics in the SrLa_4?x Pr _x La₄Ti₅O₁₇ (0 ≤ x ≤ 4) series were processed via a solid-state sintering route. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed single-phase ceramics for all the compositions. The molar volume (V _m) decreased while the theoretical density (ρ _th) increased with increase in the Pr content. Substitution of Pr³⁺ decreased the relative permittivity (ε _r) and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ _f) due to its smaller ionic polarizability (α _d) and ionic radius than La³⁺. In the present study, ε _r ≈ 54.2, Q _u f ₀  ≈ 7935 GHz, and τ _f  ≈ ?20.3 ppm/°C were achieved for the composition with x = 2 (i.e., SrLa₂Pr₂Ti₅O₁₇).     

Thermoelectric Properties of Y1−x Ag x BaCo4O7+δ Ceramics

The thermoelectric properties of the Ag-doped ceramics Y_1?x Ag _x BaCo₄O_7+δ (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2) were investigated from 373 K to 973 K. The results show that the doping of Ag can reduce the electrical resistivity. The Seebeck coefficients of the samples decrease when the Ag doping amount is small, but increase when the Ag doping amount is large. The activation energy of the electrical conductivity was calculated using Arrhenius plots, and it was found that the activation energy descends with increase of the Ag doping amount. According to the power factors, the optimum Ag doping amount is x = 0.15, which results in a higher power factor of 81 μW m^?1 K^?2 at 973 K, 72.7% higher than for the sample without Ag doping.     

Effect of Zr4+ Content on the Grain Growth,Dielectric Relaxation Behavior,and Ferroelectric Properties of Ba0.4Sr0.6Ti1−x Zr x O3 Nano-Ceramics Prepared by Different Methods Assisted by Fast Microwave Sintering

The effect of Zr⁴⁺ content on the grain growth, dielectric relaxation, and piezoelectric properties of Ba_0.4Sr_0.6Ti_1?x Zr _x O₃ (BSTZ; x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06) ceramics prepared by solid-state (SS) and sol–gel modified hydrothermal (SH) methods assisted by fast microwave sintering was investigated in this study. A combination of x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), impedance analysis, and ferroelectric analysis was used. All the ceramics had pure perovskite structures at room temperature, as seen from XRD patterns, indicating that Zr⁴⁺ was incorporated into Ba_0.4Sr_0.6TiO₃ lattices to form a solid solution. In the SEM micrographs, SH samples had higher densities and smaller and more homogeneous grain size than SS samples, which was in agreement with density measurements. Nano-ceramics were obtained by this method. When the temperature dependence of dielectric constant and dielectric loss was studied, SH samples had higher permittivity, better thermally activated relaxation, and lower dielectric loss at high temperature. Ferroelectric characteristics can still be detected in Ba_0.4Sr_0.6Ti_1?x Zr _x O₃ ceramics and residual polarization (P _r) decreased with increasing Zr⁴⁺ content.     

Microwave Synthesis and Characterization of the Series Co1−x Fe x Sb3 High Temperature Thermoelectric Materials

The use of microwave energy for materials processing has a major potential and real advantages over conventional heating such as (1) time and energy savings, (2) rapid heating rates (volumetric heating vs. conduction), (3) considerably reduced processing time and temperature, (4) fine microstructures and hence improved mechanical properties and better product performance, and (5) finally lower environmental impact. In this study, we investigated the use of microwave-assisted synthesis to synthesize a series of Co_1?x Fe _x Sb₃ using this novel approach, which gave high quality materials with little or no impurities in a fraction of the time needed for conventional synthesis. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to examine the structure and the lattice parameters of the samples, while scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was used to study the morphology of the compounds. The samples were sintered by spark plasma sintering, and the highest ZT of 0.33 was obtained for x = 0.2 at 700 K.     

Preparation and Dielectric Characteristics of Semitransparent CoFe2O4–P(VDF-TrFE) Nanocomposite Films

Polymer–ceramic nanocomposites play an important role in embedded capacitors. However, polymer–ceramic dielectrics are limited for commercial applications due to their low transmittance, poor adhesion, and poor thermal stress reliability at high filler loadings. Thus, materials design and processing is critical to prepare films with improved dielectric properties and low filler loading. In this work, we use a spin coating-assisted method to fabricate poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)]–CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) nanocomposite films. Magnetic CFO nanoparticles in the size range of 10 nm to 40 nm were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal process. The dispersion of the nanoparticles, the dielectric properties, and the transmittance of the nanocomposite films were studied. The dielectric constant of the nanocomposite films increased by about 45% over the frequency range of 100 Hz to 1 MHz, compared with that of pristine P(VDF-TrFE) film. Optical measurements indicated that the transmittance of the films remains above 60% in the visible range, indicating a relatively low content of CFO in the polymer matrix. Our experimental results suggest that spin coating-assisted dispersion may be a promising route to fabricate dielectric polymer–ceramic nanocomposite films of controllable thickness.     

Structural Characterization and Magnetic and Electrical Properties of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3–La1.5Sr0.5NiO4 Nanocomposites

Nanocomposite samples of (1 ? x)La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ + xLa_1.5Sr_0.5NiO₄ (x = 0 to 0.3) were synthesized by a combination of the mechanical milling and solid-state reaction methods. X-ray diffraction analyses and magnetic measurements indicated that no reaction occurred between La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO) and La_1.5Sr_0.5NiO₄ (LSNO). The Curie temperature (T _C) was almost independent of x, while the metal–insulator transition temperature (T _MI) shifted from 251 K for x = 0.0 to 65 K for x = 0.2. The samples with x ≥ 0.25 exhibited insulating behavior in the temperature range from 30 K to 300 K. Addition of LSNO substantially increased the resistivity of the composites. This is attributed to enhanced magnetic disorder at LCMO grain boundaries due to the addition of LSNO. The temperature dependence of the resistivity, ρ(T), could be described by the phenomenological percolation model of phase segregation. Fitting the experimental ρ(T) data in the temperature range of 30 K to 300 K indicated that the activation energy of the composites increases as a function of the LSNO doping concentration (x).