Effect of holmium substitution on structural and electrical properties of barium zirconate titanate ferroelectric ceramics

The holmium substituted Ba1−3x/2HoxZr0.025Ti0.975O3 (x=0.01, 0.02, 0.025, 0.05) compositions were synthesized by the solid state reaction technique. The synthesized specimens were characterized for their structural and electrical properties using X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy, impedance analyzer and loop tracer. Phase analysis shows the formation of secondary phase Ho2Ti2O7 for Ho≥2.5 mol% substitution. The microstructural investigation shows that the holmium substitution significantly reduces the grain size. The substitution of holmium increases the Curie temperature for x≤0.02 whereas Curie temperature decreases for x≥0.025. The maximum dielectric constant at transition temperature is observed for x=0.02. The solubility limit is 2 mol% and for x≥0.025 some of the holmium atoms enter B-sites and forms the secondary phase. An increase is observed in the coercive field of the specimens with the increasing holmium content.