To study the effect of low temperature crystal growthon the structural and ferroelectric properties of lead-freeBCT-BZT ceramic

Abstract

Barium Zirconate Titanate-Barium Calcium Titanate (BCT-BZT) is oneof the lead-free systems, which exhibits remarkable ferroelectricproperties akin to lead-based perovskite materials. In this study, wehave synthesizedx(Ba0.85Ca0.15)TiO3-(1 x)Ba(Zr0.15Ti0.85)O3(wherex¼0.4, 0.5, 0.6) monophonic powders by hydrothermal method at150 C. X-ray diffraction reveals the pure tetragonal phase. Scanningelectron microscopy (SEM) studies make known that the crystalgrowth is uniform due to low temperature, and that the ceramicsare highly dense and polycrystalline. The single semicircle indicatesbulk behavior. The bulk resistance decreases with the increase intemperature showing a typical semiconducting property, negativetemperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behavior.