Characterization of ternary (Na0.5K0.5)1?xLixNbO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics prepared by molten salt synthesis method

(Na_0.5K_0.5)_1−x Li _x NbO₃ powders and ceramics were prepared by molten salt synthesis method. Pure perovskite-phase powder was obtained at a low temperature of 740 °C with a grain size of below 800 nm. The effects of the LiNbO₃ on phase transition, microstructure, electrical properties, and temperature stability were investigated. A morphotropic phase boundary was identified. The scanning electron microscopy indicated that the (Na_0.5K_0.5)_1−x Li _x NbO₃ powders and ceramics obtained by the molten salt synthesis method have a relatively uniform particle size and microstructure. The results indicate that these materials are promising candidates for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics for practical applications.     

Structural and dielectric properties of Na1?xBaxNb1?x(Sn0.5Ti0.5)xO3 ceramics

Lead-free (1 − x)NaNbO₃/xBa(Ti_0.5Sn_0.5)O₃ (x = 0.1, 0.125, 0.15, 0.175, 0.2, and 0.3) ceramics were elaborated by the conventional ceramic technique. Sintering has been made at 1523 K for 2 h. The crystal structure was investigated by X-ray diffraction with CuKα radiation at room temperature. As a function of composition, these compounds crystallize with tetragonal or cubic symmetry. Dielectric measurements show that the materials have a classical ferroelectric behavior for compositions in the range 0.10 ≤ x ≤ 0.15 and relaxor one for compositions in the range 0.15 < x ≤ 0.30. Temperatures T _C or T _m decrease as x content increases. The ferroelectric behavior has been confirmed by hysteresis characterization. For x = 0.1, a piezoelectric coefficient d ₃₁ of 42.146 pC N⁻¹ was obtained at room temperature. The evolution of the Raman spectra was studied as a function of temperature for x = 0.1.     

Ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of [(Bi0.98La0.02Na1?xLix)0.5]0.94Ba0.06TiO3 lead-free ceramics

Lead-free ceramics [(Bi_0.98La_0.02Na_1−x Li _x )_0.5]_0.94Ba_0.06TiO₃ have been prepared by an ordinary sintering technique and their ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties have been studied. The results of X-ray diffraction reveal that Li⁺, Ba²⁺, and La³⁺ diffuse into the Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ lattices to form a new solid solution with a pure perovskite structure. The partial substitution of Li⁺ lowers the coercive field E _c and improves the remanent polarization P _r. Because of the larger P _r and lower E _c, the ceramic with x = 0.10 exhibits optimum piezoelectric properties: d ₃₃ = 212 pC/N and k _P = 36.1%. The partial substitution of Li⁺ for Na⁺ shifts the depolarization temperature T _d toward low temperature. The ceramics exhibit relaxor characteristic, which is probably resulted from the cation disordering in the 12-fold coordination sites. The temperature dependences of the ferroelectric and dielectric properties suggest that the ceramics contain both the polar and non-polar regions near/above T _d, which cause the polarization hysteresis loop become deformed and the ceramics become depolarized.     

Phase composition, microstructure, and properties of Na1 ? yNbO3 ? y/2 ceramics

We have studied the phase composition, microstructure, and dielectric and thermophysical properties of Na_{1 − y} NbO_{3 − y/2} (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.20) ceramics and identified a complicated sequence of phase transformations within the homogeneity range of sodium niobate (y ≤ 0.10), accompanied by anomalous variations in its physical properties. At low y values, discontinuous secondary recrystallization occurs. We conclude that dielectric effects above the Curie temperature are related to the electrical conductivity of the material and that those at low temperatures are governed by the motion of domain walls and interfaces. The temperature-dependent structural, dielectric, and thermophysical properties of the materials studied are shown to correlate.     

Structural, spectroscopic and microwave characterizations of (Sm0.5Y0.5)Ti(Nb1?xTax)O6 ceramics

Microwave dielectric ceramics of the type (Sm_0.5Y_0.5)Ti(Nb_1−x Ta _x )O₆ were prepared for x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1 through the conventional solid state ceramic route. The ball-milled compositions were calcined at 1,250 °C. The cylindrical pellets were sintered at temperatures between 1,385 and 1,450 °C. The densities were determined by Archimedes method. The structure was analyzed using X-ray diffraction method. The microwave dielectric properties of the polished pellets were measured using cavity resonator method. The morphological studies were done using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The Raman spectra were recorded and analyzed to confirm the structural change. The photoluminescence spectra were also taken and the emission lines were identified. A correlation study was done among the measured properties and parameters. Most of the samples have high dielectric constant, high quality factor and low temperature coefficient of resonant frequency and hence suitable for microwave applications.     

Effect of nonstoichiometry on the structure and microwave dielectric properties of Ba1 ? x(Zn1/2W1/2)O3 ? x and Ba(Zn1/2 ? yW1/2)O3 ? y/2

We have synthesized Ba_{1 − x} (Zn_1/2W_1/2)O_{3 − x} and Ba(Zn_{1/2 − y} W_1/2)O_{3 − y/2} barium tungstates with different deviations from cation stoichiometry (x = 0.01–0.05, y = 0.01–0.05), determined the phase composition of ceramics fabricated from the tungstates, and investigated their electrical properties. Even slight deviations from cation stoichiometry in Ba(Zn_1/2W_1/2)O₃ lead to the formation of the scheelite phase BaWO₄, and its content increases with heat-treatment temperature. Barium or zinc deficiency in the systems studied improves the sintering behavior of Ba(Zn_1/2W_1/2)O₃ and increases the degree of 1: 1 B-site cation ordering, which in turn ensures an increase in microwave quality factor, Q.     

Electrical properties of (K0.5Na0.5)1? x Ag x NbO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

(K_0.5Na_0.5)_1−x Ag _x NbO₃ lead-free piezoelectric ceramics have been fabricated by an ordinary ceramic technique. The results of XRD reveal that Ag⁺ diffuses into the K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃ lattices to form a new solid solution with an orthorhombic perovskite structure and the solubility of Ag⁺ into A-sites of K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃ is about 0.20. The ceramics can be well-sintered at 1,100–1,110 °C. The partial substitution of Ag⁺ for A-site ion (K_0.5Na_0.5)⁺ decreases slightly both paraelectric cubic-ferroelectric tetragonal (T _C) and ferroelectric tetragonal-ferroelectric orthorhombic phase transition temperatures (T _O−T). The ferroelectricity of the ceramics becomes weak at high Ag⁺ concentration. The ceramic with x = 0.10 possesses optimum electrical properties: d ₃₃ = 135 pC/N, k _P = 0.43, k _t = 0.46, ε _r = 470, tanδ = 3.39%, and T _C = 394 °C.     

Tantalum influence on electrical properties of lead-free (K0.4425Na0.52Li0.0375)(Nb0.93?xTaxSb0.07) O3 piezoelectric ceramics

Lead-free (K_0.4425Na_0.52Li_0.0375)(Nb_0.93−x Sb_0.07Ta _x )O₃ (abbreviated as KNLNST _x ) piezoelectric ceramics with x = 0.045–0.075 have been prepared by an ordinary sintering technique with sintering temperature at 1,120 °C. The results of X-ray diffraction reveal that Ta⁵⁺ has diffused into the perovskite lattice to form a solid solution. The grain growth of the ceramics was inhibited by substituting Ta⁵⁺ for Nb⁵⁺. It has been shown that the substitution of Ta decreases Curie temperature T _C and orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition temperature T _O-T. Besides, the dependence of the ceramics with different Ta content on the dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties has been investigated. The results indicate that Ta substitution provides “soft” piezoelectric characteristics, owing to improvements in d ₃₃, k _p and ε _r and a decease in Q _m. For the ceramics with x = 0.06, the piezoelectric coefficient d ₃₃ becomes maximum at a value of 270 pC/N, while the other electrical properties remain reasonably high: dielectric constant ε _r = 1,577, planar mode electromechanical coupling factors k _p = 0.4, Curie temperature T _C = 252 °C and the remanent polarization P _r = 16.03 μC/cm². These results show that (K, Na, Li) (Nb, Sb)O₃ ceramics with small amount of Ta (x <8 mol%) are good lead-free piezoelectric ceramic.     

Preparation and Magnetic Properties of?(La1?xSr1+x)(Mn0.5Co0.5)O4

A series of single phase (La_1−x Sr_1+x ) (Mn_0.5Co_0.5)O₄ (0≤x≤0.40) materials with a tetragonal K₂NiF₄ structure was prepared by a solid state reaction method at 1400 or 1450 °C with a short period of heating time. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the Rietveld refinement method were employed for the structural analysis. Unit cell a- and c-axes decrease with increasing amount of Sr substitution. A discrepancy between the zero-field-cooled and the field-cooled magnetization is observed in all samples investigated below a characteristic temperature, T ^*, which likely arises from the canted nature of spins or the random freezing of spins. It appears that T ^* decreases with increasing amount of Sr substitution, which is possibly due to the enhancement of chemical pressure induced by Sr and a corresponding increases of the valence of Mn and/or Co.     

Preparation and properties of ceramics based on (Na0.5Bi0.5)1 ? xAxTiO3 (A = Sr, Cd) solid solutions

This paper describes the preparation and properties of (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)_{1 − x} A _x TiO₃ (A = Sr, Cd) lead-free ferroelectric ceramics. The (0.63–0.66)Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ · (0.37–0.34)Sr_0.7Bi_0.2TiO₃ ceramics are shown to have the best dielectric and piezoelectric properties: tanδ = 0.013–0.009, ɛ_RT = 1200–1500, d ₃₁ = (370–400) × 10⁻¹² C/N, and k _ρ = 0.4–0.58. The cadmium-containing ceramics offer low dielectric losses and high dielectric permittivity at room temperature.     

[(NaxK（1–x）)0.985Bi0.015](Nb0.97Ti0.03)O3陶瓷的压电与介电性能研究

采用固相法制备了[(NaxK(1–x))0.985Bi0.015](Nb0.97Ti0.03)O3(x=0.40～0.65)无铅压电陶瓷,研究了样品的物相结构、显微形貌、压电以及介电性能随x的变化规律。结果表明:所有样品都具有钙钛矿结构并且居里温度TC在340～365℃范围内;当x=0.40和x=0.65时,样品为四方相结构;在0.45≤x≤0.63范围内,形成了典型的PPT(polymorphic phase transition),样品表现出较高的压电活性。当x=0.60时,样品的压电性能最佳(d33=253 pC/N,kp=0.43,TC=359℃)。     

GaxIn1 ? xBiyAszSb1 ? y ? z/InSb and InBiyAszSb1 ? y ? z/InSb heterostructures grown in a temperature gradient

Heterophase equilibria in the Ga _x In_{1 − x} Bi _y As _z Sb_{1 − y − z} -InSb and InBi _y As _z Sb_{1 − y − z} -InSb systems have been analyzed within the simple solution approximation. Ga _x In_{1 − x} Bi _y As _z Sb_{1 − y − z} /InSb and InBi _y As _z Sb_{1 − y − z} /InSb heterostructures have been grown in a temperature gradient, and their composition and structural perfection have been assessed.     

The morphotropic phase boundary and electrical properties of (1?? x )Pb(Zn1/2W1/2)O3– x Pb(Zr0.5Ti0.5)O3 ceramics

Ceramics in the solid solution of (1 − x)Pb(Zn_1/2W_1/2)O₃–xPb(Zr_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ system, with x = 0.80, 0.85, 0.90, and 0.95, were synthesized with the solid-state reaction technique. The perovskite phase formation in the sintered ceramics was analyzed with X-ray diffraction. It shows that the rhombohedral and the tetragonal phases coexist in the ceramic with x = 0.90, indicating the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) within this pseudo-binary system. Dielectric and ferroelectric properties measurements indicate that the transition temperature decreases while the remanent polarization increases with the addition of Pb(Zn_1/2W_1/2)O₃. In the composition of x = 0.85 which is close to the MPB in the rhombohedral side, a high piezoelectric property with d ₃₃ = 222 pC/N was observed.     

Structure of Sr1 ? xPbxFeO3 ? δ (0 < x < 0.5) perovskite-like materials

We have synthesized Sr_{1 − x} Pb _x FeO_{3 − δ} (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5) perovskite-like materials and studied their structure by X-ray diffraction, M?ssbauer spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. According to the X-ray diffraction data, the Pb solubility limit in the perovskite structure is x ≈ 0.15. The materials with x = 0.05 and 0.1 contained Pb_1.33Sr_0.67Fe₂O₅ inclusions 10–30 nm in size. Using chronopotentiometry and temperature-programmed desorption, we have estimated oxygen mobility in the materials with x = 0.05 and 0.1. The results demonstrate that Pb doping increases oxygen mobility in the strontium-ferrite-based materials.     

Thermodynamic properties of (TeO2)0.95 ? n ? z(ZnO)z(Na2O)n(Bi2O3)0.05 glasses

The heat capacity (C _p ⁰) of the tellurite glasses

Construction of new morphotropic phase boundary in 0.94(K0.4?xNa0.6BaxNb1?xZrx)O3–0.06LiSbO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

0.94(K_0.4−x Na_0.6Ba _x Nb_1−x Zr _x )O₃–0.06LiSbO₃ ceramics were prepared by conventional technique, and the effect of BaZrO₃ on the phase transitions, dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics were investigated. The phase transitions for the ceramics were determined by the temperature dependence of dielectric properties and X-ray diffraction patterns. BaZrO₃ changes the symmetry of the ceramics from tetragonal dominant phase with x = 0–0.06 to rhombohedral phase with x = 0.07–0.09. The phase transition near room temperature for the composition with x ~ 0.06 is different from previously reported phase transition between orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. It is suggested that a new morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) is constructed with both rhombohedral–orthorhombic and orthorhombic–tetragonal phase transitions near room temperature, and the enhanced piezoelectric properties (d ₃₃ = 344 pC/N and k _P = 32.4% with x = 0.06) are obtained. The results indicate that the construction of new MPB is of significance for further development of KNN-based ceramics.     

Characterizations of InzGa1?z As1?x?yN xSbyP-i-N structures grown on GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy

The GaAs-based double-heterojunction P-i-N structures using In_zGa_1–zAs_1–x–yN_xSb_y as the i-layer is investigated for the first time using solid source molecular beam epitaxy. High quality coherent bulk InGaAsN_3.45%Sb (0.5 m) with a lattice-mismatch of 2.6 × 10^–3 can be achieved due to the surfactant properties of antimony, while the bulk InGaAsN_2% at 0.5 m with 1.06× 10^–3 mismatch is fully relaxed. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) resulted in 25 meV low temperature (LT) photoluminescence (PL) full-width half-maximums (FWHM) for the bulk InGaAsNSb layers. InGaAsNSb experiences 30% less blueshifting with subjected under the same annealing conditions as InGaAsN with similar N content. Room temperature (RT) absorption measurements are in the range of 0.9–1.4 eV. The absorption edge of 1.41 m is achieved for sample D4.     

Structural and Physical Properties of Ca1?xSrxFe2As2 (0≤x≤1.0) and Ca0.5Sr0.5Fe2?yCoyAs2 (0≤y≤0.6)

The Ca_1−x Sr _x Fe₂As₂ (0≤x≤1) and Ca_0.5Sr_0.5 Fe_2−y Co _y As₂ (0≤y≤0.6) materials were prepared by a solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the lattice parameters of Ca_1−x Sr _x Fe₂As₂ decrease continuously with increasing Ca content. Resistivity measurements reveal that the Ca/Sr ratio has a visible influence on the resistivity anomaly associated with the spin-density-wave (SDW) instability. Experimental measurements on Ca_0.5Sr_0.5Fe_2−y Co _y As₂ show clear superconducting transitions for Co in range of 0.26≤y≤0.43; the highest critical transition temperature is found to be at about 17 K. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations on the superconducting Ca_0.5Sr_0.5Fe_2−y Co _y As₂ samples reveal visible inhomogeneous distribution of Sr and Ca elements, which could result in structural distortions and broaden superconducting transitions as observed in our experiments.     

Magnetic and dielectric properties of Mg1+x Mnx, Fe2?2x, O4 ferrite system

Ferrites with the general formula Mg_1+xMn_xFe_2–2xO₄(where x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9) were prepared by the standard ceramic technique and studied by means of X-ray diffraction, magnetization, a.c. susceptibility and dielectric constant measurements. The X-ray analysis confirmed the single-phase formation of the samples. The lattice parameter is found to increase up to x = 0.3 and thereafter it decreases as x increases. The cation distribution has been studied by X-ray analysis and magnetization. Magnetization results exhibit collinear ferrimagnetic structure for x 0.3 and thereafter structure changes into non-collinear for x > 0.3. Curie temperature (T_C) obtained from a.c. susceptibility data decreases with increasing x. The dielectric constant (), loss tangent (tan ) show strong frequency dependence.     

Electrical properties and microstructure of CdxHg1 ? x ? yCrySe crystals

Crystals of the Cd _x Hg_{1 − x − y} Cr _y Se (x = 0.4, y = 0.1) quaternary solid solution have been grown by the Bridgman method, and their microstructure and electrical properties have been studied. The crystals are shown to contain various types of inclusions in the form of filaments and triangles.