Enhanced low electric-field energy-storage performance in Ba0.9Sr0.1TiO3-Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3 ceramics

Perovskite (1-x)Ba0.9Sr0.1TiO3-xBi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3 (BST-BiMT-x) ceramics were prepared by sintering the corresponding powders synthesized by combining of solid state reaction method with citrate sol-gel and selfcombustion techniques. Submicron grains morphology, high density and large resistivity were obtained in the BST-BiMT-x ceramics. In addition, the BST-BiMT-0.1 and BST-BiMT-0.075 ceramics exhibit ferroelectric hysteresis loops with slim shape which lead to enhanced energy-storage properties. The energy-storage density of these two ceramics increases almost linearly with increasing the applied electric filed. The energy-storage density and efficiency at 25 kV/cm of the BST-BiMT-0.1 and BST-BiMT-0.075 ceramics sintered at 1200°C are 141.2mJ/cm3 and 79.3%, and 158.1mJ/cm3 and 76.7%, respectively, surpassing many recently reported values for ferroelectric/antiferroelectric ceramics. The enhanced energy-storage density and efficiency under low electric field can be attributed to the slim polarization-electric field hysteresis loops, high density accompanied by submicron grains morphology and pure perovskite structure.