Enhancing grain boundary contributions to improve the dielectric properties of (In0.5Nb0.5)0.05Ti0.95O2 ceramics by Bi aided sintering

Abstract

The internal barrier layer capacitance effect substantially contributes to the colossal permittivity in In and Nb co-doped TiO2 (INTO) ceramics. Therefore, enhancing grain boundary density and ceramic compactness can efficaciously reduce their low-frequency dielectric loss. In this investigation, Bi2O3 addition was utilized to aid sintering and refine grains for INTO ceramics. The results reveal that Bi-doped INTO ceramics, in contrast to their undoped counterparts, exhibit a more refined and compact grain structure with a significant increase in the quantity of grain boundaries. Moreover, a noticeable reduction in low-frequency dielectric loss from above 0.1 to below 0.05 and enhanced frequency stability of permittivity from below 10 Hz to approximately 10 kHz were observed, along with a decrease in the sintering temperature to 1300 °C. In comparison to undoped INTO ceramics, Bi doping also enhances the withstand voltage capability by a factor of 1.5–4 for Bi-doped INTO ceramics. However, as the sintering temperature of Bi-doped INTO ceramics increases and the grain size enlarges, their breakdown voltage gradually decreases, but the non-linear coefficient of current-voltage characteristics progressively increases. Analysis of complex impedance spectra confirms that the increased grain boundary density and resistance in Bi-doped INTO ceramics is the primary factor for the enhanced dielectric properties and withstand voltage capability.