Doping effect of SiO2/CeO2 on the dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of (Ba0.7Ca0.3)(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 ceramics

Lead-free (Ba
_0.7
Ca
_0.3
)(Zr
_0.2
Ti
_0.8
)O
₃
ceramics (BZT-50BCT) with x wt% (x=0,0.05,0.1,0.2,0.4) dopant (SiO
₂
and CeO
₂
) were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction from the industry available raw materials. The doping effect of SiO
₂
and CeO
₂
with different concentrations on the microstructures and electric properties of BZT-50BCT ceramics was systematically investigated in the present study. Moderate doping level would result in the fine microstructures and the consequent enhanced dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties while excessive doping would cause the degradation of the properties. The best piezoelectric performance of d
₃₃
=476pC/N was achieved by 0.05 wt% CeO
₂
doping.