Crystal Structure and electrical properties of complex perovskite solid solutions based on (1-x) NaNbO3-xBi (Zn0.5Ti0.5) O3

Ceramics based on the perovskite solid solution (1-x) NaNbO3-xBi (Zn0.5Ti0.5) O3 were prepared using conventional solid state synthesis. The crystal structure, electrical, and optical properties were examined. According to diffraction data, a single perovskite phase could be identified up to the composition x = 0.09. As the Bi (Zn0.5Ti0.5) O3 content increased the crystal structure transitioned from orthorhombic to pseudocubic symmetry. Furthermore, dielectric data showed that the dielectric maximum shifted to lower temperatures with the addition of Bi (Zn0.5Ti0.5) O3. Polarization hysteresis data revealed a slim linear loop across the whole range of solid solutions. Optical data also showed a decrease in the optical band gap from 3.4 eV for pure NaNbO3 to 2.9 eV for the x = 0.09 composition. Using impedance spectroscopy, an electrically inhomogeneous microstructure was observed for compositions with increased Bi (Zn0.5Ti0.5) O3 content. Finally, the substitution of Ta on the B-site was shown to shift the dielectric maximum to temperatures as low as 100 K.