Very-low temperature synthesis of pure and crystalline lead-free Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 ceramic

TL;DR

This study presents a low-temperature sol-gel and hydrothermal method to synthesize pure, crystalline, lead-free BCZT ferroelectric powders with controlled morphology, offering a promising approach for energy-related applications.

Contribution

A novel low-temperature synthesis technique for pure, crystalline BCZT ferroelectric powders using sol-gel and hydrothermal methods.

Findings

Pure BCZT can be synthesized at temperatures above 80°C.

Particle size increases from 145 nm to 160 nm with temperature.

The method yields spherical particles with enhanced microstructure.

Abstract

The site-doping strategy of barium titanate (BaTiO3) is a promising way to develop new lead-free materials for energy with enhanced dielectric and piezoelectric properties. A novel strategy to elaborated pure and crystalline Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3(BCZT) ferroelectric powders at low temperature is proposed. It is based on sol-gel method followed by a hydrothermal reaction. The effects of preparation temperature on structure, crystallinity, purity, morphology and particles size distribution of BCZT powders were studied. It was clearly shown that pure and crystalline BCZT could be obtained over 80{\deg}C. Furthermore, the BCZT particles exhibit a spherical shape whose mean size increases from 145 nm at 40{\deg}C to 160 nm at 80{\deg}C. The present study may provide a new strategy to design lead-free ferroelectric materials with enhanced structure and microstructure properties at very low temperature.