Effect of sintering temperature on the depolarization behavior of (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3‐based ceramics.

(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 (BNT)‐based ferroelectric ceramics have drawn extensive attention because of their excellent electrical properties and interesting depolarization behavior. However, the poor thermal stability of electrical properties limits their practical application. In this work, the effect of sintering temperature (Ts) on the depolarization behavior of BNT‐based ceramics was systematically investigated. It is found that the depolarization temperature Td determined from pyroelectric measurement tends to decrease with increasing Ts, which indicates that lower Ts defers the ferroelectric‐relaxor (FE‐RE) phase transition. However, for the samples sintered at higher Ts (such as 1180°C), although the Td is reduced, the thermal stability is better compared with the sample sintered at lower Ts (1100°C) because the diffuse behavior of the FE‐RE phase transition is suppressed. According to these results, we propose that the thermal stability of electrical properties for BNT‐based ceramics is not only related to high Td, but also to the diffuse degree of phase transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]