Tailored electrical properties with enhanced fracture toughness in Pb0.99(Zr0.95Ti0.05)0.98Nb0.02O3 ferroelectric ceramics

• Remarkable microstructural evolution was observed in different Sm2O3 doping levels.
• The electrical properties can be tailored in a wide range.
• The fracture toughness is enhanced, comparative to the dense PZT ceramics.

Pb0.99(Zr0.95Ti0.05)0.98Nb0.02O3 ferroelectric ceramics doped with Sm2O3 were prepared and the influence of Sm2O3 doping levels on the microstructures, the dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric properties as well as fracture toughness was investigated. When the doping concentration of Sm2O3 spans from 0 to 7.5 at.%, the maximum permittivity decreases from ∼20,000 to ∼5000, the remnant polarization from 35 to 4 μC/cm2, the d33 from 67 pC/N to 8 pC/N, while the fracture toughness of the ceramics are enhanced to 2.1 MPa m1/2. From the viewpoint of microstructure tailoring for the energy storage density control, the doped ceramics realized an optimization between the tailored electrical properties and the high mechanical properties, which is promising to substitute porous PZT in pulsed power supply.

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