We present the results of obtaining and investigating multiferroic ceramics Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 (PFN) and PFN doped by various amounts of Li (PFN:Li). Ceramics have been obtained from oxides by two-step synthesis. For obtained samples the X-ray diffraction patterns, microstructure, DC electric conductivity, the temperature dependencies of dielectric permittivity and dielectric losses, electromechanical properties and hysteresis loops have been investigated. Obtained results have shown that the introduction of Li decreases electric conductivity and improves dielectric and electromechanical parameters important for applications.
The results of the investigations on (1 — x)PMN-xPT ceramic samples obtained by sol—gel (SG) technology are presented in this study. In the (1 — x)PMN-xPT samples, the temperature Tm (at which real part of dielectric permittivity reaches its maximum) increases from ~270 K for x = 0 to ~500 K for x = 0.5. At room temperature, the samples with low values of x exhibit relaxor properties, while with increasing x the transition to normal ferroelectric properties takes place. Usually 0.9PMN-0.1PT or 0.925PMN-0.075PT solid solutions are considered as boundary compositions between relaxor and ferroelectric properties at room temperature.This study presents the analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns, fracture microphotographs, electromechanical parameters, and hysteresis loops for ceramics obtained from SG PMN—PT powders densified by the hot pressing method with a composition range, x = 0—0.37.
In the work, the multicomponent Pb0.75Ba0.25(Zr0.65Ti0.35)1-aSnaO3 (PBZT/Sn) ceramics were obtained with various tin amounts (a from the range of 0.0 to 0.1). The densification of the PBZT/Sn ceramic samples was performed using pressureless sintering method. The effect of SnO2 content on the crystal structure of PBZT/Sn ceramics, microstructure, DC electrical conductivity and electrophysical properties (including dielectric and ferroelectric testes), were investigated. The PBZT/Sn ceramic samples exhibit high values of dielectric permittivity at the temperature of ferro-paraelectric phase transition and show the relaxor character of phase transition. Excessive SnO2 contents doping of the PBZT/Sn materials (already for a = 0.1) might lead to lattice stress and structure defects, which successively leads to the deterioration of ferroelectric and dielectric properties of the ceramic samples. The presented research shows that the addition of SnO2 to the base PBZT compound (in the proper proportion) gives an additional possibility of influencing the parameters essential for practical applications, from the areas of micromechatronics and microelectronics.