High-temperature stable dielectrics in Mn-modified (1-x) Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃-xCaTiO₃ ceramics

In the current work, the bulk (1-x) Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃-xCaTiO₃ [BNCT100x] system was synthesized via solid-state route. CaTiO₃ in solid solution with Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ was observed to decrease the dielectric constant at higher temperature and raise the dielectric constant at lower temperature. Polarization hysteresis measurements indicated that the ferroelectricity of Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ was weakened with an increase of CaTiO₃, resulted in the shift of the depolarization temperature (T _d) toward lower temperatures. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that TiO₂ was produced as a secondary phase due to the losses of Bi and Na during milling and sintering processes. Moreover, the addition of Ca promoted the segregation of Ti out of BNT grains. Dielectric properties of BNCT12 ceramics with different dopant levels of Mn were characterized as a function of temperature for potential use of high-temperature capacitors. Modification of BNCT12 materials with Mn improved the temperature characteristic of capacitance (−55°C to 250°C, △C/C_25°C ≤ ±15%). Finally, by doping 1.5 wt% Mn, the dielectric constant at room temperature could reach over 900, with a low dielectric loss below 1% and a high insulation resistivity about 10¹² Ω•cm. Furthermore, a small amount of Mn influenced the microstructure in the way to inhibit the long grains and grain growth of BNCT solution ceramics. However, excess Mn caused abnormal grain growth, and therefore, rectangle grains appeared again.