Effect of Nd doping on structural, dielectric and thermodynamic properties of PZT (65/35) ceramic

The influence of neodymium (Nd) addition on the phase formation and dielectric properties of Pb(Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 composition prepared from mixed oxide method was analyzed. Pellets were sintered in air and PbZrO3 (PZ) atmosphere separately. Non-perovskite ZrO2 phase was observed in samples which were sintered in air, also grain size was found to decrease with Nd doping in non-PZ environment samples. Decrease in transition temperature by 80 °C with increasing Nd concentration was observed in both set of samples. Maximum dielectric constant and dielectric losses are found to decrease with Nd doping. Complex impedance analysis revealed that grain boundary resistance increases with Nd doping. Thermodynamic parameters such as change in enthalpy, free energy and change in entropy were studied.