Structural and electrical properties of Er2O3-Doped Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3 lead-free piezoceramics

Sodium bismuth titanates Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3 (NBT) doped with 0-3 wt% Er2O3 were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction results revealed that the sintered Er-doped NBT ceramics exhibited a pure perovskite structure with Er3+ concentrations ranging from 0 to 1 wt%. At a low Er2O3 concentration, the Er-doped NBT ceramics showed enhanced electrical properties with dielectric constant epsilon(T)(33)/epsilon(0)=636, a low dielectric dissipation factor (tan delta=3.3%), a low coercive field (E-c=4.56 kV/mm), and a high piezoelectric constant (d(33)=75 pC/N). The relationship between the composition and properties of Er-doped NBT ceramics has been discussed.