Structural, dielectric and ferroelectric study of Ba 0.9Sr 0.1Zr xTi 1−xO 3 ceramics prepared by the sol–gel method

Abstract

In this paper, we report the structural, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of zirconium (Zr)-modified barium strontium titanate (Ba 0.9Sr 0.1Zr x Ti 1− x O 3) ceramics with varying Zr content as x=0, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 synthesized by the sol–gel method. Stable polycrystalline perovskite phase is obtained at a processing temperature of 1150 °C, which is lower than the processing temperature of conventional solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows a systematic peak shift with increasing Zr content, indicating incorporation of Zr in BST lattice. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) is done to investigate microstructure of the pellets. The diffusivity parameter ( γ) and the standard deviation from the Curie–Weiss law have also been investigated as a function of Zr. The polarization vs electric field shows a decrease in remnant polarization with increasing Zr content.