Effect of yttrium (Y) substitution on the structure and dielectric properties of BaTiO3

As the rate of application of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) in small electronic devices increases, the use of the raw material barium titanate (BaTiO₃) with a small particle size and excellent dielectric properties becomes needed. Due to the size effect, small-sized BaTiO₃ generally has a cubic phase structure with a low dielectric constant, which limits its use in MLCCs. We report the preparation of small cubic phase Y-doped BaTiO₃ (BYT) nanoparticles by a hydrothermal method and the preparation of highly dielectric tetragonal phase BYT ceramics based on this method. XRD and Raman analysis showed that the BYT nanoparticles are in substable cubic phases. The particle size of the BYT nanoparticles, measured by TEM, XRD, and BET, was approximately 35 nm. The dielectric properties of the BYT ceramics were tested by an impedance analyzer, and the dielectric constant of the BYT ceramics was 7547 when the Y³⁺ doping amount was 0.5 mol%. In addition, the substitution mechanism of Y³⁺ doping in BaTiO₃ crystals was proposed from XPS and EPR analysis. The results demonstrate for the first time that the 50 nm cubic phase BaTiO₃ powder can meet the needs of next-generation high-capacity MLCCs. This work provides a reference for small cubic phase BaTiO₃ as a dielectric material for high-capacity MLCCs.