Crystallization and dielectric properties of lead-free glass-ceramic composites with Gd2O3 addition

Lead-free glass-ceramic composites in barium sodium niobate silica system with Gd2O3 addition were synthesized through melt-casting fol-lowed by controlled crystallization technique. Crystallization and dielectric properties of the Gd2O3 adding glass-ceramic composites were investigated. With the increase in the concentration of Gd2O3, the glass transition temperature and the crystallization temperature of the pre-cursor glass shift towards the higher temperature. The crystallization behavior that occurred during the heat treatment procedure leads to the enhancement of dielectric constant. All the three compositions of glass-ceramic composites exhibit ferroelectricity when tested at room tem-perature. Both the values of the remanent polarization and coercive field are enhanced regularly with the gradual increase in the concentration of Gd2O3 additive under the same testing field.