Ferroelectric and Dielectric Properties of Strontium Titanate Doped with Barium

Ferroelectric samples Sr1−xBaxTiO3 (BST), where x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1, were prepared using the tartrate precursor method and annealed at 1200 °C for 2 h. X-ray diffraction, “XRD”, pattern analysis verified the structure phase. The crystallite size of the SrTiO3 phase was calculated to be 83.6 nm, and for the TiO2 phase it was 72.25 nm. The TEM images showed that the crystallites were agglomerated, due to their nanosize nature. The AC resistivity was measured as temperature dependence with different frequencies 1 kHz and 10 kHz. The resistivity was decreased by raising the frequency. The dielectric properties were measured as the temperature dependence at two frequencies, 1 kHz and 10 kHz. The maximum amount of dielectric constant corresponded to the Curie temperature and the transformation from ferroelectric to paraelectric at 1 kHz was sharp at 10 kHz. Polarization–electric field hysteresis loops for BST samples were measured using a Sawer–Tawer modified circuit. It was shown that the polarization decreased with increasing temperature for all samples.

Enhancement of photoelectrochemical performance in ferroelectric films via the introduction of an Au buffer layer

The inefficient separation of photogenerated carriers has become a serious problem that limits the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of semiconductors. Herein, a sol-gel method was used to prepare BiFeO3 ferroelectric thin films with FTO and FTO/Au as substrates, respectively. The polarization electric field of the ferroelectric can more effectively separate the carriers generated in the photoelectrode. Meanwhile, the introduction of an Au buffer layer can reduce the resistance in the process of charge transfer, accelerate the carrier migration, and enhance the efficiency of the charge separation. Under light irradiation, Au/BiFeO3 photoelectrode exhibited an extraordinary improvement in PEC water splitting compared with BiFeO3. In addition, the ferroelectric polarization electric field causes band bending, which further accelerates the separation of electrons and holes and improves the PEC performance of the photoelectrode. This work promotes the effective application of ferroelectric films in PEC water splitting.

Thermo-mechanical energy harvesting and storage analysis in 0.6BZT-0.4BCT ceramics

Present work shows waste energy (thermal/mechanical) harvesting and storage capacity in bulk lead-free ferroelectric 0.6Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.4(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (0.6BZT-0.4BCT) ceramics. The thermal energy harvesting is obtained by employing the Olsen cycle under different stress biasing, whereas mechanical energy harvesting calculated using the thermo-mechanical cycle at various temperature biasing. To estimate the energy harvesting polarization-electric field loops were measured as a function of stress and temperatures. The maximum thermal energy harvesting is obtained equal to 158 kJ/m3 when the Olsen cycle operated as 25-81 °C (at contact stress of 5 MPa) and 0.25-2 kV/mm. On the other hand, maximum mechanical energy harvesting is calculated as 158 kJ/m3 when the cycle operated as 5-160 MPa (at a constant temperature of 25 °C) and 0.25-2 kV/mm. It is found that the stress and temperature biasing are not beneficial for thermal and mechanical energy harvesting. Further, a hybrid cycle, where both stress and temperature are varied, is also studied to obtain enhanced energy harvesting. The improved energy conversion potential is found as 221 kJ/m3 when the cycle operated as 25-81 °C, 5-160 MPa and 0.25-2 kV/mm. The energy storage density varies from 43 to 66 kJ/m3 (increase in temperature: 25-81 °C) and 43 to 80 kJ/m3 (increase in stress: 5 to 160 MPa). Also, the pre-stress can be easily implemented on the materials, which improve energy storage density almost 100% by domain pining and ferroelastic switching. The results show that stress confinement can be an effective way to enhance energy storage.

Enhanced Electrostrictive Coefficient and Suppressive Hysteresis in Lead-Free Ba(1−x)SrxTiO3 Piezoelectric Ceramics with High Strain

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with both low hysteresis and superior electrostrictive coefficient features are crucial toward providing desired performance for intelligent electrical devices, especially in high-precision displacement actuators. In this work, we propose a novel scenario, which is to design the phase transition around ambient temperature to enhance electrostrictive effect and inhibit hysteresis. In other words, the dense ceramics with cubic phases (C) and tetragonal phases (T) coexisting at RT (room temperature) were designed. According to this scenario, the Ba(1−x)SrxTiO3 (abbreviated as BT-100xST) ceramics were fabricated by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The relaxor behavior, ferroelectric properties, crystal structure and microstructure of BT-100xST ceramics have been investigated in detail. As a result, the BT-100xST ceramics with x = 0.20–0.40 present relaxor behavior which was indicated by dielectric constant as a function of temperature and (polarization–electric field) P–E hysteresis loops. The BT-30ST ceramics exhibit enhanced electrostrictive coefficient Q33 (>0.034 m4/C2), and the electrostrictive strain and low hysteresis achieves 0.11% and 2%, respectively. The BT-100xST ceramics are considered as a prospective option for application in displacement actuators with high sensitivity and high precision.