Influence of sintering conditions on structural, thermal, electric and ferroelectric properties of Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 ceramics.

Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3ceramics were prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method and by a hot-pressing route. The influence of sintering conditions on structural, thermal, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of these ceramics was investigated. All obtained samples exhibited a single perovskite phase. It was shown that the sintering conditions significantly influence the properties under investigation. This includes changes in the value of the electric permittivity ϵ and dielectric loss tanδ, a shift ofTmandTdand change of the ferroelectric properties. These effects are mainly related to volatility of the Na and Bi components during the sintering process along with formation of their compensating charge defects, which leads to local structure change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]