Fabrication of La-Doped Bi4Ti3O12 Ceramics

La-modified Bi4Ti3O12 is a typical ferroelectric, piezoelectric and electro-optic material, having relatively low coercive field, low dielectric constant, high Curie temperature and high breakdown strength. Goal of the present research was to apply mixed oxide method for fabrication of BiTLax ceramics, study its chemical composition, crystalline structure and microstructure. The compound BiTLax for x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 ceramic powders were prepared from mixture of oxides by a solid state reaction at T=1000 degrees C for t=3h. Ceramic powders of BiTLax were next press and the compacts were sintered by the free sintering at temperature T=1000 degrees C with the soaking time t=2h. A crystal structure Bi-layered structured of ferroelectrics was confirmed by a X-ray diffraction. It was found that La-doped BiT ceramics sintered at T=1000 degrees C adopted the monoclinic symmetry. Influence of La-doping on chemical composition and microstructure of BiTLa ceramics was studied by scanning electron microscopy HITACHI S-4700 and energy dispersion spectroscopy.