Enhancing the dielectric, electrocaloric and energy storage properties of lead-free Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 ceramics prepared via sol-gel process

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that optimizing sintering time in sol-gel processed BCZT ceramics enhances their dielectric, electrocaloric, and energy storage properties, making them promising lead-free materials.

Contribution

It systematically investigates the influence of sintering time on structural and functional properties of BCZT ceramics, revealing optimal conditions for improved performance.

Findings

High dielectric permittivity (~16310) achieved

Electrocaloric effect coefficient (~0.244Kmm/kV) optimized

Energy density storage (~10.61 mJ/cm3) demonstrated

Abstract

The Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 (BCZT) ceramics were successfully prepared by sol-gel process, and sintered at 1420 degree. The effect of sintering times (2, 4 and 6 h) on structural, microstructural, electric properties, energy storage, and electrocaloric effect was systematically examined. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that all the samples crystallize in the pure perovskite structure. The morphotropic phase transition from the tetragonal to the orthorhombic phase (T-O) was identified and confirmed by Rietveld refinement. The BCZT ceramic sintered at 1420 degree for 4h possesses a good relative density of 98%, and exhibits optimal properties with a high dielectric permittivity ~16310, a large electrocaloric effect coefficient ~ 0.244Kmm/kV and an energy density storage of ~ 10.61 mJ/cm3.