Electrical properties of niobium doped barium bismuth-titanate ceramics

BaBi₄Ti_4–5/4xNb_xO₁₅ (BBNTx, x = 0, 0.05, 0.15, 0.30) ceramics have been prepared by solid state method. XRD data indicate the formation of single-phase-layered perovskites for all compositions. SEM micrographs suggest that the grain size decreases with Nb doping. The effect of niobium doping on the dielectric and relaxor behavior of BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ ceramics was investigated in a wide range of temperatures (20–777 °C) and frequencies (1.21 kHz to 1 MHz). Nb doping influences T_c decrease as well as the decrease of dielectric permittivity at Curie temperature. At room temperature, undoped BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ exhibits dielectric constant of ～204 at 100 kHz, that slightly increases with Nb doping. The conductivity of BBNT5 ceramics is found to be lower than that of other investigated compositions. The value of activation energy of σ_DC was found to be 0.89 eV, 1.01 eV, 0.93 eV and 0.71 eV for BBT, BBNT5, BBNT15 and BBNT30, respectively.