Novel smart ferroelectric functional material for application in transducers

In this pioneering work, lanthanum (La)/tantalum (Ta) co-doped Ba_(1-3x)La_2xTi_(1-5y)Ta_4yO₃ ferroelectric functional ceramic was synthesized to obtain improved dielectric and polarization properties. The calcinated pressed sample was subjected to double stage sintering at a maximum temperature of 1375°C for 2, 4 and 6 h. The presence of tetragonal phase was confirmed in the perovskite structure using X-ray diffractometry. The microstructure has been studied using FESEM. The influence of sintering time on grain growth was found to be significant. It was found that La doping has significant effect on tilting of the perovskite structure. On the other hand, Ta is responsible for the polarization and control of the grain growth. In addition, double doping resulted in higher dielectric constant and low dielectric loss factor, which was measured using impedance analyzer. This research thus develops new Ba_(1-3x)La_2xTi_(1-5y)Ta_4yO₃ ferroelectric materials with improved dielectric and polarization properties that can find prospective applications in FeRAM, capacitor and transducer in particular.