Preparation and electrical properties of Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ ceramics by the doping of Mn ions

A series of Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1(Ti_1-xMn_x)_0.9O₃ (x = 0%, 2%, 4% and 8%; Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ abbreviated as BCZT) ceramics were prepared via the sol-gel method. No secondary phase was detected in XRD patterns, indicating that Mn entered into the unit cell to form a solid solution. The microstructures for Mn-doped BCZT ceramics show Mn can inhibit the growth of BCZT grain size. The dependence of dielectric constant on temperature shows that the Curie temperature decreases and the degree of dispersed phase increases with the increase of the doping amount. When the doping amount is x = 2% and x = 4%, the hysteresis loop shows a significant shrinkage, the remanent polarization is significantly reduced, and the shrinkage is more severe under high electric field. The double hysteresis loops appeared, indicating that the hysteresis loop of BCZT ceramic can be adjusted by doping a certain amount of Mn ions. The sample of x = 4% shows an energy density of 0.18 J/cm³ and an energy efficiency of 58.5%.