Energy storage density and charge–discharge properties of PbHf1−xSnxO3 antiferroelectric ceramics.

[Display omitted] • Tin doping significantly improves the energy storage performance of PbHfO 3 ceramics. • PbHf 0.925 Sn 0.075 O 3 ceramics achieve high recoverable energy density of 10.1 J/cm3. • The outstanding charge–discharge performance is closer to the practical application. • The discharge energy density and rate(t 0.9) were 7.81 J/cm3 and 360 ns, respectively. • The discharge current and power density were 1556A/cm2 and 233 MW/cm3, respectively. Dielectric capacitors with high energy density, high power density, fast charging-discharge rate and good thermal stability have potential applications in advanced electronics and electric power systems. In this work, the PbHf 1- x Sn x O 3 (PHS) antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics are prepared via solid-state method. The field-induced AFE to ferroelectric transitions are observed in polarization–electric field (P-E) hysteresis loops. The energy storage capacity increases due to the increase of AFE-ferroelectric switching field despite the field-induced ferroelectric polarization decreases. A high recoverable energy storage density of 10.2 ± 0.4 J/cm3 with high energy efficiency of 78.9% is achieved at 320 kV/cm for x = 0.075 (PHS-0.075) ceramic, which is superior to other systems reported recently. Furthermore, the sample also exhibits excellent stability against testing temperature and frequency. The pulsed charge–discharge process is measured to elucidate the actual operation performance in the PHS ceramic. The PHS-0.075 ceramic possesses a high current density of 1556 A/cm2, a giant power density of 233 MW/cm3 and a fast discharge rate (t 0.9 < 360 ns). Delightfully, a remarkable discharge energy density of 7.81 J/cm3 is obtained at 300 kV/cm, which is closer to the actual result for the capacitors operating. This great improvement gives a guideline to further promote the commercialization of AFE materials for energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]