Phase formation, microstructure and dielectric properties of Ba(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 ceramics prepared via the combustion technique

A novel combustion technique has been developed to prepare Ba(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O-3 or BZT ceramics. CH4N2O was used as a fuel to reduce the reaction temperature. The effect of calcination temperature, sintering temperature and dwell time on the phase and morphology evolution of perovskite Ba(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O-3 was investigated. The pure perovskite phase was found in powders calcined at 1000 degrees C for 5 h. The XRD patterns indicated that BZT has a mixture of cubic and tetragonal phases and that the cubic phase content increased with increasing firing temperatures and dwell time. The microstructures of the BZT powders exhibited an irregular shape and an agglomerated form. The average particle size increased with the increase of calcination temperatures and dwell time. The average grain size, density and maximum dielectric constant increased with increasing sintering temperatures to a maximum at 1400 degrees C and thereafter it decrease. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.