Characterization and Energy Storage Density of BaTiO3 - Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 Ceramics

Abstract

The energy storage density of (1-x) BaTiO3 – x Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) ceramics was investigated. The microstructure of samples was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The energy storage density was calculated from the P-E hysteresis loops measured at room temperature. Experimental results show that the energy storage density of 0.9 BaTiO3 – 0.1 Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramics is highest among all compositions. At 15.8kV/mm electric field, the energy storage density of the sample can reach up to 1.07J/cm3, which is about 1.5 times higher than pure BaTiO3. The improvement of the energy density can be due to two factors: one is the improved breakdown strength caused by the optimized microstructure, the other is the decreased remnant polarization. This result indicates that bulk 0.9 BaTiO3 – 0.1 Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramic has advantages compared with pure BaTiO3 ceramic for energy storage applications, and with further improvements in microstructure and reduction of sintering temperature, could be a good candidate for energy storage capacitors.