The dielectric temperature characteristic of additives modified barium titanate having core-shell structured ceramics

Abstract

The dielectric temperature characteristics and microstructures of BaTiO3-based ceramics sintered with additives such as Sm2O3, CeO2, and Bi2O3:Nb2O5 were investigated using TEM, XRD, and EDS. For a Sm2O3-modified BaTiO3 ceramic whose additives were uniformly distributed in grains, the ferroelectric transition temperature (Tc) was shifted to a lower temperature, while the transition temperatures (T1 and T2) were shifted to a higher temperature. The additions of CeO2 and Bi2O3: PbO to BaTiO3 formed the chemical inhomogeneity which was composed of grain core, grain shell, and concentration gradient region. The dielectric curve versus temperature of CeO2-modified BaTiO3 has the shape of one strong peak, whereas BaTiO3 ceramics sintered with Bi2O3:Nb2O5 exhibit the broad dielectric constant at the low temperature region and 130 °C ferroelectric transition peak. The dielectric temperature characteristics of additives modified BaTiO3 were determined in terms of the chemical inhomogeneity and stress induced by the difference of the unit cell volume between grain core and grain shell.