Enhanced bulk conductivity of A-site divalent acceptor-doped non-stoichiometric sodium bismuth titanate

Bismuth-deficient sodium bismuth titanate (nominally Na0.5Bi0.49TiO2.985, NB0.49T) is a good oxide-ion conductor. Here we report the influence of A-site divalent ions, M2 + = Ca2 +, Sr2 + and Ba2 +, on the electrical properties of NB0.49T. A-site divalent doping for Bi3 + enhances the bulk (grain) conductivity by ~ one order of magnitude without changing the conduction mechanism, which is attributed to an increase in the oxygen vacancy concentration based on the doping mechanism Bi3 + + ½ O2 − → M2 +. Among these three dopants, Sr2 + is the most effective in increasing the bulk conductivity due to a combination of its smaller mismatch in ion size with Bi3 +, its intermediate polarisability and lower bond strength to oxygen compared to Ca2 + and Ba2 +. Doping strategies for further improvements to bulk conductivity of NBT materials are discussed based on these results. Comparison with other oxide-ion conductors and initial stability test under reducing atmosphere show the doped non-stoichiometric NBT materials are promising for low and intermediate temperature applications.