The effects of quenching on electrical properties, and leakage behaviors of 0.67BiFeO3–0.33BaTiO3 solid solutions

Ferroelectric solid solutions of 0.67BiFeO3–0.33BaTiO3 were prepared by a Pechini method followed by quenching process. The XRD results indicate that both the furnace-cooled and water-quenched samples are consist of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases. SEM images show that the quenching process does not change the microstructure of 0.67BiFeO3–0.33BaTiO3 solid solutions. The quenched sample exhibits well-defined P–E hysteresis loop with remnant polarization of 23 µC/cm2 at room temperature. The leakage mechanism of the furnace-cooled sample is Ohmic conduction mechanism, whereas the leakage mechanism of water-quenched sample is predominated by field-assisted ionic conduction at room-temperature and 50 °C and then changes to three different conduction mechanisms at 100 °C.