Composition Dependent Structural and Electrical Properties of (Ba0.9-zSrzCa0.1)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3, (0.08 ≤ z ≤ 0.12) Ceramics

Pellet samples of (Ba0.9-zSrzCa0.1)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3, with z ranging from 0.08 to 0.12, were prepared using the solid-state reaction route. Dielectric measurements were obtained for all the prepared compositions at various frequencies (1-1000 kHz) and temperatures (room temperature to 250 degrees C). The structural and piezoelectric properties were obtained at room temperature (RT), where maximum dielectric (5615 at 1 MHz) and piezoelectric constant (964 pm V-1) were observed for the samples with z = 0.10 among the prepared samples. Further, for z = 0.10, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) peak patterns showed an anomalous peak shifting phenomenon followed by an irregular shift in the c/a vs z plot's slope. In addition, maximum grain size and density were observed for z = 0.10. The obtained maximum values of dielectric constant (epsilon), piezoelectric constant (d33*), break in XRD peak shifting patterns, and a minimum in c/a ratio of the prepared samples show significant composition-dependent electrical and structural properties indicating morphotropic-phase boundary (MPB), near z = 0.10 among the prepared compositions. Thus, lead-free (Ba0.8Sr0.10Ca0.1)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 system may be a suitable choice for various piezoelectric applications.