Dielectric and ferroelectric behavior of cerium modified SrBi2Ta2O9 ceramic

• Ce doped SrBi2Ta2O9 ceramic has been prepared by solid state reaction route.
• Dielectric constant and transition temperature decreases with Ce content.
• Improvement on the ferroelectric behavior is obtained with Ce doping.

Cerium modified bismuth layered ferroelectric SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) with general formula SrBi2−xCe3x/4Ta2O9 (x=0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1) is prepared by solid state reaction route. Structural and electrical properties of SrBi2Ta2O9 ceramic are studied as a function of cerium content. The X-ray diffraction pattern indicates the formation of the single phase material for all compositions. The morphological study is done by Scanning electron microscopy, which shows plate like structure. The temperature dependent dielectric study shows a diffuse phase transition with a linear decrease in transition temperature and dielectric constant with an increase in Ce content. An increase in the dielectric diffuseness is obtained by an increase in Ce content. The ferroelectric property is studied by P–E hysteresis loop which shows a decrease in coercive field and increment in remanent polarization with an increase in Ce content.