Enhancement of piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of BaTiO3 ceramics by aluminum doping

AbstractFerroelectric and piezoelectric properties of BaTiO 3 and Al-doped BaTiO 3 ceramics were investigated. The ferroelectric studydemonstrated that, by doping Al 3þ ions in the A-site of BaTiO 3 , the polarization–electric field loop exhibited enhanced remnantpolarization (from 12 to 17.5 mC/cm 2 ), saturation and switching. In addition, the piezoelectric constant (d 33 ) increased with Al-dopingfor both static and dynamic strain values (from 75 to 135 and from 29.2 to 57.9 pC/N, respectively, at a maximum applied electric fieldof 16 kV/cm). Furthermore, the dielectric constant values increased and both the dielectric loss factor and leakage current decreased,even though the transition temperature shifted to lower temperature (from 121 to 113 1C) for the Al-doped sample. Therefore, the Al-doped BaTiO 3 has adjustable piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties.& 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved. Keywords: C. Dielectric properties; Doping effect; Ferroelectric; Ferroelectric ceramics; Piezoelectric