Surface plasma treatment boosting antiferroelectricity and energy storage performance of AgNbO3 film

The utilization of AgNbO3 film in dielectric energy storage poses challenges due to its susceptibility to impurity phase formation, which compromises its antiferroelectric properties and breakdown electric field. In this study, we successfully fabricated an AgNbO3 film with outstanding antiferroelectric properties and energy storage capabilities by employing oxygen ion surface plasma technology in conjunction with the sol-gel method. Our results demonstrate that the surface of the AgNbO3 film undergoes a layer-by-layer treatment using oxygen ion plasma, effectively suppressing impurity phases and oxygen vacancies formation while reducing grain size and enhancing insulation performance. The AgNbO3 film, which has undergone surface plasma treatment with oxygen ion, exhibits exceptional characteristics as an antiferroelectric material by demonstrating an impressive energy storage density of 13.13 J/cm3 and a high energy storage efficiency of 56%. Overall, we present a straightforward and viable approach for fabricating high-performance AgNbO3 films for efficient dielectric energy storage.