Structural, dielectric and ferroelectric study of (1−ϕ)(NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT ceramics

•Synthesis of (1−ϕ)(NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT (ϕ=0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 wt%) ceramic samples.•Decrease of Tm with the increase of SBexT content.•Retention of good ferroelectric properties.•Pr, leakage current and polarization degradation decreased with increase of SBexT.•Usefulness of the ceramic composites for the NVRAM applications.

(1−ϕ)(0.93 Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3–0.07K0.5Na0.5NbO3)-ϕSr0.8Bi2.15Ta2O9/(1−ϕ)(NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT (ϕ=0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 wt%) ceramic samples were synthesized by conventional solid state reaction route. Secondary phases started developing for higher SBexT content in the (1−ϕ)(NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT ceramic samples. Decrease of transition temperature (Tm) with the increase of SBexT content in (1−ϕ)(NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT ceramics was attributed to the increase of internal stress. Remnant polarization (Pr), leakage current density and polarization degradation values reduced with the increase of SBexT content in (1−ϕ)(NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT ceramic samples. Retention of good ferroelectric properties and enhancement of fatigue-free behavior with the incorporation of SBexT phase in (1−ϕ)(NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT ceramic samples suggested their usefulness for ferroelectric memory applications.

Graphical abstractNormalized polarization vs. number of cycles of (1−ϕ) (NBT–KNN)–ϕSBexT (ϕ=0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 wt%) ferroelectric ceramic composites measured at RT.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide