Dielectric and luminescent properties of Sm3+ doped Ba(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramics with perovskite structure

Abstract

Aiming to broaden its application as wireless temperature sensors, a temperature-sensibility-enhanced Ba1−xSm2x/3(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (x = 0%–4.5%) ceramics with a large temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency have been prepared by conventional solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that single-phase solid solutions are formed within x range of 0.37% to 3%. A minor substitution of Sm for Ba facilitates the enhancement of εr and τf, which is related to variations in polarizability and crystal structure. τf expands remarkably as x increases, indicating that Ba1−xSm2x/3(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramics could serve as a potential candidate for wireless passive temperature sensor application. Moreover, Photoluminescence and excitation spectra illustrate that Ba1−xSm2x/3(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 exhibits luminescent properties. Although Raman spectra and scanning electron microscope studies reveal that excess Sm3+ dopant has destroyed the complex perovskite structure and generated secondary phase Ba3Nb2O8, which have caused the deterioration of Q × f value, Sm3+ doped Ba(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramics paves the way to develop a promising multi-functional material utilized in temperature sensors and optical-electron integration devices in high frequency.