Effect of TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ doping on sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of Ba₄(Sm_0.5Nd_0.5)_28/3Ti_18+xO_54+2x ceramics

The effects of TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ doping on the phase formation, the microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of Ba_6−3x (Sm_1−y ,Nd _y )_8+2x Ti₁₈O₅₄ (x = 2/3 and y = 0.5; BSNT) ceramics were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the main crystal phase of BSNT + xTiO₂ (x = 0–2) ceramics sintered at 1,280 and 1,300 °C for 5 h was Ba(Sm, Nd)₂Ti₄O₁₂, accompanied by a small number of second phases: Ba₂Ti₉O₂₀ and TiO₂ (x ≥ 1.0), while the new phase BaAl₂Ti₅O₁₄ appeared and the two phases Ba₂Ti₉O₂₀ and TiO₂ disappeared in BSNT − 2TiO₂ ceramic doped with ≥2 wt% Al₂O₃ successively as identified by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis. The TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ working as sintering aids conduced effectively to promote the densification and grain growth, and thus decreasing the sintering temperature, so when the amounts of TiO₂ was increased, Q × f and τ _f values increased continuously. The BSNT − 2TiO₂ ceramics doped with y wt% Al₂O₃ decreased the density and dielectric constant, increased the Q × f value remarkably and the τ _f values was adjusted from 25.3 to −7.3 ppm/ °C. When doped with 1.5 wt% Al₂O₃ sintered at 1,260 °C for 5 h, the ceramics obtained the excellent microwave dielectric properties: ε _r  = 74.3, Q × f = 11,928 GHz, and τ _f  = +5.39 ppm/ °C.