Achieving high-energy storage performance in 0.67Bi1-xSmxFeO3-0.33BaTiO3 lead-free relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

BiFeO₃–BaTiO₃ (BF-BT)-based lead-free ferroelectric ceramic has attracted immense interest in energy storage applications due to its great spontaneous polarization (P_max) strength. However, high remanent polarization (P_r) has become a serious obstruction for its practical application. In this work, Sm ions were doped into 0.67BiFeO₃-0.33BaTiO₃ (0.67Bi_1-xSm_xFeO₃-0.33BaTiO₃, BS_xF-BT) to tailor the structure and energy storage properties. It was found that the doping of Sm ions effectively reduced P_r by enhancing the relaxor behavior of BF-BT ceramic, which produce an enhancement in the energy storage performance. Large recoverable energy storage density W_rec of 2.8 J/cm³ with moderate energy storage efficiency η of 55.8% (200 kV/cm) were achieved in the ceramics with x = 0.1. Moreover, the energy storage capabilities exhibited good stability at temperature (20–95 °C) and frequency (0.1–50 Hz). Furthermore, the ceramic also possessed a predominant discharge speed with a discharge time less than 0.1 μs in a circuit with a load of 200 Ω. These results showed that the W_rec and η of BF-BT ceramic could be availably promoted by the doping of Sm ions, which may be helpful for the enhancement of energy storage performance of BF-BT-based ceramics.     

(1-x)Bi0.5Na0.47Li0.03TiO3-xNaNbO3 lead-free ceramics with superior energy storage performances and good temperature stability

Dielectric capacitors show great potential in superior energy storage devices. However, the energy density of these capacitors is still inadequate to meet the requirement of energy storage applications. In this study, the Bi_0.5Na_0.47Li_0.03TiO₃-xNaNbO₃ (BNLT-xNN) ceramics were prepared via conventional solid-phase reaction. Results showed that NN can efficaciously enhance the breakdown strength (E_b) and the relaxation behavior of the BNLT ceramic because of the broken ferroelectric long-range order. When x = 0.3, the maximum E_b reached 350 kV/cm, at which the 0.7BNLT-0.3NN ceramic exhibited the high recoverable energy storage density (W_rec) of 4.83 J/cm³ and great efficiency (η) of 78.9%. The ceramic demonstrated good temperature stability at 20 °C-160 °C and excellent fatigue resistance. Additionally, the 0.7BNLT-0.3NN ceramic presented high power density (P_D; ～77.58 MW/cm³), large current density (C_D; ～861.99 A/cm²), and quite short discharge time (t_0.9; ～0.090 μs). These results indicated that the 0.7BNLT-0.3NN material has excellent energy storage properties and various application prospects.     

High energy storage properties of lead-free Mn-doped (1-x)AgNbO3-xBi0.5Na0.5TiO3 antiferroelectric ceramics

In this work, 0.2 wt.% Mn-doped (1-x)AgNbO₃-xBi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ (x = 0.00–0.04) ceramics were synthesized via solid state reaction method in flowing oxygen. The evolution of microstructure, phase transition and energy storage properties were investigated to evaluate the potential as high energy storage capacitors. Relaxor ferroelectric Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ was introduced to stabilize the antiferroelectric state through modulating the M₁-M₂ phase transition. Enhanced energy storage performance was achieved for the 3 mol% Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ doped AgNbO₃ ceramic with high recoverable energy density of 3.4 J/cm³ and energy efficiency of 62% under an applied field of 220 kV/cm. The improved energy storage performance can be attributed to the stabilized antiferroelectricity and decreased electrical hysteresis ΔE. In addition, the ceramics also displayed excellent thermal stability with low energy density variation (<6%) over a wide temperature range of 20−80 °C. These results indicate that Mn-doped (1-x)AgNbO₃-xBi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ ceramics are highly efficient lead-free antiferroelectric materials for potential application in high energy storage capacitors.     

Enhanced energy storage in temperature stable Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-modified BaTiO3-Bi(Zn2/3Nb1/3)O3 ceramics

Recently, BaTiO₃-BiMeO₃ ceramics have garnered focused research attention due to their outstanding performance, such as thermal stability, energy efficiency and rapid charge-discharge behavior, however, a lower recoverable energy storage density (W_rec) caused by a relatively low P_max (<30 μC/cm²) mainly hinders practical applications. Herein, the energy density and thermal stability are improved by adding a tertiary component, i.e., Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃, into BaTiO₃-BiMeO₃, resulting in xBi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃-modified 0.88BaTiO₃-0.12Bi(Zn_2/3Nb_1/3)O₃ ceramics, with x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4, with superior dielectric properties and eco-friendly impact. Incorporating Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ with a high saturation polarization and Curie temperature not only significantly enhances P_max of BaTiO₃-Bi(Zn_2/3Nb_1/3)O₃ but also improves Curie temperature of (1-x)[0.88BaTiO₃-0.12Bi(Zn_2/3Nb_1/3)O₃]-xBi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ system. Combined with complementary advantages, modified ceramics render a superior energy storage performance (ESP) with a high W_rec of 3.82 J/cm³, efficiency η of 94.4% and prominent temperature tolerance of 25–200 °C at x = 0.3. Moreover, this ceramic exhibit excellent pulse performance, realizing discharge energy storage density W_dis of 2.31 J/cm³ and t_0.9 of 244 ns. Overall, the proposed strategy effectively improved comprehensive properties of BaTiO₃-based ceramics, showing promise in next-generation pulse applications.     

High recoverable energy storage density in nominal (0.67-x)BiFeO3-0.33BaTiO3-xBaBi2Nb2O9 lead-free composite ceramics

A series of novel lead-free energy storage ceramics, (0.67-x)BiFeO₃-0.33BaTiO₃-xBaBi₂Nb₂O₉ (BF-BT-xBBN), were fabricated by traditional solid-state reaction, where bismuth layer-structured BaBiNb₂O₉ was incorporated into perovskite-structured BiFeO₃–BaTiO₃ ceramic as an additive. The addition of BaBi₂Nb₂O₉ increased the relaxor behavior and breakdown strength of BF-BT ceramics due to the formation of polar nanoregionals (PNRs), inducing enhanced energy storage performance. The composite ceramics, with x = 0.08, showed a large recoverable energy density (W_rec) of 3.08 J/cm³ and an outstanding energy storage efficiency (η) of 85.57% under an applied electric field of 230 kV/cm. Moreover, the composite ceramics exhibited excellent thermal stability and high stability toward different frequencies in a temperature range of 20–100 °C and a frequency range of 0.1–1500 Hz. These results demonstrate great potential of novel BF-BT-xBBN composite ceramics for next-generation energy storage applications.     

Enhanced energy storage performance in Sn doped Sr0.6(Na0.5Bi0.5)0.4TiO3 lead-free relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

SnO₂ doped Sr_0.6(Na_0.5Bi_0.5)_0.4TiO₃ (NBT-ST) ceramics were prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method. Their phase structures, microstructures and electrical properties were characterized in details. It is found that SnO₂ doping could increase the lattice parameters, density and average grain size. A suitable amount of SnO₂ can improve dielectric properties, and affect the relaxor behavior of the NBT-ST matrix, thereby it can effectively reduce the energy loss and optimize the energy storage performance. Furthermore, the energy storage properties are improved with SnO₂ doping. Especially, the 1 at. % SnO₂ doped NBT-ST achieves a high recoverable energy density of 2.35 J/cm³, which is mainly attributed to large maximum polarization of 43.2 μC/cm², small remnant polarization of 5.83 μC/cm² and high breakdown strength of 180 kV/cm. Also, relatively good temperature stability for dielectric performance and excellent fatigue resistance are observed in this composition. These properties are attractive for lead-free energy storage applications.     

Realizing excellent energy storage properties in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-based lead-free relaxor ferroelectrics

Development of lead-free dielectric capacitors with high recoverable energy storage density (W_rec), large energy storage efficiency (η), and wide usage temperature range are in high demanded for pulse power systems. Herein, we realized the enhancement of energy storage properties [high W_rec = 3.76 J/cm³, large η = 78.80 %, and broad operating temperature range (20?180 °C)] in lead-free Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (BNT)-based relaxor ferroelectrics via component regulation. Excellent energy storage properties mainly originate from suppressing early polarization saturation and improving dielectric breakdown strength (E_b). Domain evolution on the nanoscale offers robust support to suppression of early polarization saturation. The enhancement of E_b can be derived from the contribution of the Mg-rich phase, which is also corroborative via first-principles calculation on basis of density functional theory (DFT). We believe that these findings in this work may provide a practicable guideline to build new lead-free ceramics for electrical energy storage applications.     

Large energy storage density in BiFeO3-BaTiO3-AgNbO3 lead-free relaxor ceramics

Lead-free (0.70-x)BiFeO₃-0.30BaTiO₃-xAgNbO₃+5‰mol CuO (abbreviated as BF-BT-xAN) ceramics were fabricated using a modified thermal quenching technique. BF-BT-xAN ceramics are of a perovskite structure with morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) and show strong relaxor properties. Remarkably, the high recoverable energy storage density of 2.11 J/cm³ is obtained for BF-BT-xAN with x = 0.14. For the x = 0.14 ceramics, its energy storage efficiency is as high as 84 % at relative low field of 195 kV/cm, together with an outstanding thermal stability in a broad temperature range from 25 °C to 150 °C. In addition, this ceramic maintains superior energy storage performance even after 8 × 10⁴ electrical cycles due to its high densification after doping Ag₂O and Nb₂O₅. The result suggests that lead-free BF-BT-xAN ceramics may be promising candidate for dielectric energy storage application.     

High energy storage performance in BaTiO3-based lead-free relaxors via multi-dimensional collaborative design

The application of advanced pulse power capacitors strongly depends on the fabrication of high-performance energy storage ceramics. However, the low recoverable energy storage density (W_rec) and energy efficiency (η) become the key links limiting the development of energy storage capacitors. In this work, a high W_rec of ～5.57 J cm^?3 and a large η of ～85.6% are simultaneously realized in BaTiO₃-based relaxor ceramics via multi-dimensional collaborative design, which are mainly attributed to the ferroelectric-relaxor transition, enhanced polarization, improved breakdown electric field, and delayed polarization saturation. Furthermore, the excellent temperature stability (ΔW_rec < ± 5%, 25–140 °C), frequency stability (ΔW_rec < ± 5%, 1–200 Hz), and outstanding charge/discharge performance (current density ～1583.3 A cm^?2, power density ～190.0 MW cm^?3) with good thermal stability are also achieved. It is encouraging that this work demonstrates that multi-dimensional collaborative design is a good strategy to develop new high-performance lead-free materials used in advanced dielectric capacitors.     

High energy storage density and temperature-stable dielectric properties for (1-x)Bi0.38Na0.38Sr0.24TiO3-xBaSnO3 lead-free relaxor ceramics

Relaxor ferroelectrics are promising candidates for energy storage equipment due to their excellent energy-storage properties. Lead-free (1-x)Bi_0.38Na_0.38Sr_0.24TiO₃-xBaSnO₃ (abbreviated as BNST-100xBS) relaxor ceramics were synthesized by a traditional solid-phase sintering method. The influences of the addition of BaSnO₃ dopants for the energy storage and dielectric temperature-stable properties of BNST-100xBS ceramics were systemically investigated. All samples exhibited a typical pseudo-cubic symmetry structure and obtained the dense microstructure. The ergodic relaxor behavior of all ceramics was observed and revealed a trend of increase as a function of composition. All samples showed a single grain conduction mechanism and the activation energy decreased with the addition of composition. It is related to the generation of oxygen vacancies induced by the defect dipoles. BNST-2.5BS ceramic exhibited an outstanding recoverable energy density of ~1.42 J/cm³ with the corresponding efficiency of ~79.7% at 115 kV/cm field. In addition, excellent temperature-stable permittivity (43–255 °C) was obtained for BNST-7.5BS ceramic. Hence, BNST-2.5BS ceramic revealed excellent energy density properties and BNST-7.5BS exhibited outstanding temperature-stable dielectric permittivity, which was beneficial to use in energy storage equipment and other device applications.     

Enhanced energy storage performance in Na(1-3x)BixNb0.85Ta0.15O3 relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

High-performance lead-free dielectric containers have excellent energy storage performance such as higher power density and energy density. While being eco-friendly materials, lead-free dielectric materials are more suitable for pulse power systems than other dielectric materials. In this study, Ta⁵⁺and Bi³⁺ ions were introduced into the A site and B site of the NaNbO₃ matrix. The introduction of Bi³⁺ ions induced the formation of a vacancy in the A site, yielding Na_(1-3x)Bi_xNb_0.85Ta_0.15O₃ (NBNT, x = 0.05, 0.08, 0.11, 0.14) ceramics. The recoverable energy density (W_rec) and the energy storage efficiency (η) were highest for the Na_0.67Bi_0.11Nb_0.85Ta_0.15O₃ ceramic, with values of 3.37 J/cm³ and 89% respectively. Batteries employing the Na_0.67Bi_0.11Nb_0.85Ta_0.15O₃ ceramic achieved a current density of 830.4 A/cm², an energy density of 49.8 MW/cm³ and 60.2 ns discharge time. These results show that the Na_0.67Bi_0.11Nb_0.85Ta_0.15O₃ ceramic is an effective energy storage material with broad application prospects.     

Enhanced energy storage performance and thermal stability in relaxor ferroelectric (1-x)BiFeO3-x(0.85BaTiO3-0.15Bi(Sn0.5Zn0.5)O3) ceramics

Lead-free (1-x)BiFeO₃-x(0.85BaTiO₃-0.15Bi(Sn_0.5Zn_0.5)O₃) [(1-x)BF-x(BT-BSZ), x=0.45-0.7] ceramic samples were prepared by solid phase sintering. It is revealed that the pure single-phase perovskite structure can be obtained in samples with x ≥ 0.6. With increasing x, the measured ferroelectric hysteresis loop becomes gradually slimmed in accompanying with reduced remnant polarization, and a clear ferroelectric-relaxor transition at x = 0.65 is identified. Furthermore, the measured electric breakdown strength can be significantly enhanced with increasing x, and the optimal energy storage performance is achieved at x = 0.65, characterized by the recoverable energy storage density up to ≈3.06 J/cm³ and energy storage efficiency as high as ≈92 %. Excellent temperature stability (25°C–110°C) and fatigue endurance (>10⁵ cycles) for energy storage are demonstrated. Our results suggest that the BF-based relaxor ceramics can be tailored for promising applications in high energy storage devices.     

An effective strategy to realize superior high-temperature energy storage properties in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 based lead-free ceramics

To develop and fabricate environmentally friendly dielectric capacitors used in high-temperature environment, in this work, we prepare La³⁺ doped 0.94Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃-0.06BaTiO₃ lead-free relaxor ferroelectric ceramics with high and wide phase transition temperature. With the introduction of La³⁺, due to the enhancement of the A- and B- site cation ion disorder, the dielectric relaxation characteristics of the ceramics are more obvious. Therefore, the polarization-electric field loops become slimmer and the remnant polarization (P_r) reduces. In addition, because La³⁺ as a donor dopant has lower mobility than A-site cation ions in the ceramic matrix, the grain sizes decrease with increasing La³⁺ content, which significantly leads to an increase in the breakdown strength (E_b). As a result, both a large recoverable energy density (W_rec) of 1.92 J/cm³ and a high energy efficiency (η) of 85.7% are obtained in the ceramic with 12 mol% La³⁺ content. More importantly, even at 200 °C and a low driving electric field of 155 kV/cm, the W_rec and η of this kind of ceramic are still as high as 1.2 J/cm³ and 89.4%, indicating good temperature stability. This work provides an effective and simple way to prepare environmentally friendly dielectric capacitors that are applicable in high-temperature environment.     

Tailoring high energy density with superior stability under low electric field in novel (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

Large energy storage density in relaxor ferroelectrics is commonly accompanied with high breakdown strength, which is adverse to the actual dielectric capacitor applications. We demonstrate that such drawback can be effectively resolved by using Sr_0.7Bi_0.2TiO₃ (SBT) to partially replace relaxor ferroelectric 0.76(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃-0.24NaNbO₃ (BNT-NN-xSBT). In this study, a high recoverable energy storage density (W_rec∼3.12 J/cm³) and favorable efficiency (η∼75.3 %) are achieved in the BNT-NN-0.1SBT ceramic under a low electric field of 200 kV/cm, which is superior to that of most previously reported dielectric ceramics under the same electric field level. Good temperature stability (25−120 °C), moderate frequency dependence (1−500 Hz), and excellent fatigue resistance (up to 10⁵ cycles) are also realized. More interestingly, the indicated ceramics perform high power density (P_D∼36.40 MW/cm³) and fast discharge time (t_0.9∼0.149 μs) with remarkable temperature endurance. Moreover, of particular significance is that this study offers a feasible guideline to design comprehensive energy storage performance dielectric ceramics for practical applications.     

Enhanced energy storage properties of {Bi0.5[(Na0.8K0.2)1-zLiz]0.5}0.96Sr0.04(Ti1-x-yTaxNby)O3 lead-free ceramics

Energy storage properties of {Bi_0.5[(Na_0.8K_0.2)_1-zLi_z]_0.5}_0.96Sr_0.04(Ti_1-x-yTa_xNb_y)O₃ (BNKLSTTN-x/y/z) lead-free ceramics are investigated. It is found that Ta performs better than Nb in the case of their energy storage density values, and the addition of optimum Li contents can enhance the energy storage properties by enhancing the dielectric breakdown strength (DBS). Enhanced energy storage density of 1.60 J/cm³ under a low electric field of 90 kV/cm is achieved in BNKLSTTN-0.025/0/0.10 samples, and the fatigue-free properties are also observed. In addition, the BNKLSTTN-0.025/0/0.10 samples show the enhanced temperature dependence of energy storage density. These results indicate that the BNKLSTTN-x/y/z ceramics are one of the most promising lead-free materials for energy storage applications.     

Effect of Sr(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 modification on the energy storage performance of BaTiO3 ceramics

Lead-free (1-x)BaTiO₃-xSr(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (abbreviated as BT-xSZN, x = 0–0.08) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics were prepared using the traditional solid phase technology, and the effects of SZN modification on their phase structures, microstructures, dielectric performance, ferroelectricity and energy storage performance were studied in detail. A pure perovskite phase was observed in the BT-xSZN ceramics. The BT-based ceramics modified by SZN exhibited refined grain size. As the SZN content was increased, the breakdown strength initially increased and then decreased, and the ferroelectric loops gradually became ‘slim’. The BT-xSZN (x = 0.07) ceramics demonstrated a favourable energy storage performance with high recoverable energy density (W_rec = ~1.45 J/cm³) and energy storage efficiency (η = ~83.12%) at 260 kV/cm. Results indicate that the energy storage performance of BaTiO₃ ceramics modified by SZN can be remarkably improved, widening their applications in energy storage at low temperatures.     

Enhanced energy storage properties in La(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3-modified BiFeO3-BaTiO3 lead-free relaxor ferroelectric ceramics within a wide temperature range

A new ternary lead-free (0.67-x)BiFeO₃-0.33BaTiO₃-xLa(Mg_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃ ferroelectric ceramic exhibited an obvious evolution of dielectric relaxation behavior. A significantly enhanced energy-storage property was observed at room temperature, showing a good energy-storage density of 1.66 J/cm³ at 13 kV/mm and a relatively high energy-storage efficiency of 82% at x = 0.06. This was basically ascribed to the formation of a slim polarization-electric field hysteresis loop, in which a high saturated polarization P_max and a rather small remnant polarization P_r were simultaneously obtained. Particularly, its energy storage properties were found to depend weakly on frequency (0.2 Hz–100 Hz), and also to exhibit a good stability against temperature (25 °C–180 °C). The achievement of these characteristics was attributed to both a rapid response of the electric field induced reversible ergodic relaxor to long-range ferroelectric phase transition and a typical diffuse phase transformation process in the dielectric maxima.     

Excellent energy-storage performances in La2O3 doped (Na,K)NbO3-based lead-free relaxor ferroelectrics

Relaxor ferroelectric (FE) materials have received increasing attention owing to their great potentials for energy-storage applications, especially for the ones with high energy-storage density, efficiency and thermal stability simultaneously. A novel lead-free [(Na_0.5K_0.5)_0.97-xLi_0.03](Nb_0.94-xSb_0.06)O₃-xBi(Zn_1/2Zr_1/2)O₃ (NKLNS-xBZZ) ceramics was developed by a solid-state reaction method. The addition of BZZ has induced obvious dielectric relaxation behavior, as well as improved thermal stability of dielectric response. Furthermore, 0.4 wt.% La₂O₃ was added into the NKLNS-0.06BZZ ceramic, leading to an increased breakdown strength as a result of the reduction of grain size, improvement of bulk resistivity and decrease of dielectric loss. A large recoverable energy-storage density (∼4.85 J/cm³) and a high efficiency (∼88.2 %) as well as an excellent thermal stability (±12 %, 25–140 °C) were simultaneously obtained, together with a fast discharge rate (t_0.9∼112 ns). These results suggest that La₂O₃ doped NKLNS-0.06BZZ ceramic could become an attractive dielectric material for temperature-stable energy-storage capacitors.     

Simultaneously achieving high energy storage density and efficiency under low electric field in BiFeO3-based lead-free relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

BiFeO₃-BaTiO₃-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramic has attracted increasing attention for energy storage applications. However, simultaneously achieving high recoverable energy storage density (W_rec) and efficiency (η) under low electric field has been a longstanding drawback for their practical applications. Herein, a novel relaxor ferroelectric material was designed by introducing (Sr_0.7Bi_0.2)TiO₃ (SBT) into the composition 0.67BiFeO₃-0.33BaTiO₃ (BF-BT-xSBT). A large W_rec of ∼2.40 J/cm³ and a high η of ∼90.4 % were simultaneously realized under a low electric field of 180 kV/cm, which is superior to that of most previously reported lead-free ceramics. Moreover, moderate temperature endurance and excellent frequency stability were also obtained. More importantly, this ceramic has a large discharge current density (∼289.18 A/cm²), a discharge power density (∼14.46 MW/cm³) and short discharge time (<0.25 μs). These results not only demonstrate superior potential in BF-BT-SBT ceramics, but also offer a new design to tune the energy storage performance of lead-free relaxor ferroelectric ceramics.