Fe-Doped Barium Lanthanum Titanate as a Competitor to Other Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics.

Multiferroic solid solutions of Ba1-xLaxTi1-x/4O3 and iron (BLFT) were synthesized using the conventional mixed oxide method. The dependence of the piezoelectric coefficients on Fe content in BLFT ceramics was determined by the quasi-static and resonance method. The results indicate that 0.3 mol% addition of Fe3+ ions to the ceramic structure increased the value of the piezoelectric parameter d33 to the maximum of 159 pC/N. This puts BLFT ceramics among other good-quality and lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. A major enhancement of dielectric properties related to the manipulation of Fe content in the barium lanthanum titanate (BLT) ceramics system is reported as well.

Dielectric and Electric Properties of Ba0.996La0.004Ti0.999O3 Ceramics Doped with Europium and Hafnium Ions.

Lanthanum-modified BaTiO3 electroceramic materials have superior dielectric and piezoelectric properties. Ba0.996La0.004Ti0.999O3 (BLT4) seems to be a serious candidate for ultracondensator applications. This manuscript describes the results of hafnium and europium modification of BLT 4 ceramics. The pure and doped ceramic materials were synthesized by the conventional mixed oxide method. The microstructure of obtained samples was examined by scanning electron microscope. The investigations reveal strong correlations between the presence of admixture and the grain size, which was especially visible in the case of the hafnium dopant. The frequency and temperature dielectric characteristics measurements revealed a decrease in electric permittivity. Moreover, the impedance spectroscopy investigations showed severe changes in grains and grain-boundary resistivity, which was connected with changes in electric conductivity.

Dielectric and Electrical Properties of BLT Ceramics Modified by Fe Ions.

The solid solution of the perovskite type structure Ba0.996La0.004Ti1-yFeyO3 (BLTF) for varying iron content (y = 0.1-0.4 mol.%) was obtained as a result of a solid state reaction using the conventional method. At room temperature (Tr < TC), the as-received ceramics reveals a single-phase, tetragonal structure and a P4mm space group. An increase in the iron content causes a slight decrease in the volume of the elementary cell. In addition, this admixture significantly reduces the maximum permittivity value (εm) and the shift of the phase transition temperature (TC) towards lower temperatures. The BLTF solid solution shows a classical phase transition and low values of dielectric loss tangent (tgδ), both at room temperature and in the phase transition area. The Curie-Weiss temperature (T0) and Curie constant (C) were also determined on the basis of the dielectric measurements results. The analysis of temperature changes in DC conductivity revealed presence of the positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) effect in the phase transition area.

Correction: Wodecka-Dus, B. et al., Chemical and Physical Properties of the BLT4 Ultra Capacitor-A Suitable Material for Ultracapacitors Materials 2020, 13, 659.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...].