Luminescent, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties of Pr doped Bi7Ti4NbO21 multifunctional ceramics

Pr doped Bi7Ti4NbO21 (BTN) multifunctional ceramics were prepared by a conventional sintering technique and their luminescent, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties were investigated. The X-ray diffraction data showed that the samples were single phase, and the scanning electron microscopy image indicated that the ceramics had flake-like grains with uniform thickness. The red emission was observed under the ultraviolet and blue light excitation at room temperature. The thermal quench of luminescence was measured and the result indicated that Pr doped BTN ceramics might be potentially applied in luminescent probes and temperature sensors. With the increasing Pr3+ content, the intensity of the photoluminescence increased initially and then decreased due to concentration quenching; The Curie temperature T-c was slightly shifted to the lower temperature; the ferroelectric properties was almost unchanged by doping. As a new multifunctional material, the Pr doped BTN ceramics could be used for a wide range of application, such as integrated electro-optical devices. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.