Huanpo Ning

THE CONTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY, DIELECTRIC PERMITTIVITY AND DOMAIN SWITCHING IN FERROELECTRIC HYSTERESIS LOOPS

Triangular voltage waveform was employed to distinguish the contributions of dielectric permittivity, electric conductivity and domain switching in current-electric field curves. At the same time, it is shown how those contributions can affect the shape of the electric displacement — electric field loops (D–E loops). The effects of frequency, temperature and microstructure (point defects, grain size and texture) on the ferroelectric properties of several ferroelectric compositions is reported, including: BaTiO3; lead zirconate titanate (PZT); lead-free Na0.5K0.5NbO3; perovskite-like layer structured A2B2O7 with super high Curie point (Tc); Aurivillius phase ferroelectric Bi3.15Nd0.5Ti3O12; and multiferroic Bi0.89La0.05Tb0.06FeO3. This systematic study provides an instructive outline in the measurement of ferroelectric properties and the analysis and interpretation of experimental data.

Semiconductor/relaxor 0–3 type composites without thermal depolarization in Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-based lead-free piezoceramics

Commercial lead-based piezoelectric materials raised worldwide environmental concerns in the past decade. Bi₀.₅Na₀.₅TiO₃-based solid solution is among the most promising lead-free piezoelectric candidates; however, depolarization of these solid solutions is a longstanding obstacle for their practical applications. Here we use a strategy to defer the thermal depolarization, even render depolarization-free Bi₀.₅Na₀.₅TiO₃-based 0-3-type composites. This is achieved by introducing semiconducting ZnO particles into the relaxor ferroelectric 0.94Bi₀.₅Na₀.₅TiO₃-0.06BaTiO₃ matrix. The depolarization temperature increases with increasing ZnO concentration until depolarization disappears at 30 mol% ZnO. The semiconducting nature of ZnO provides charges to partially compensate the ferroelectric depolarization field. These results not only pave the way for applications of Bi₀.₅Na₀.₅TiO₃-based piezoceramics, but also have great impact on the understanding of the mechanism of depolarization so as to provide a new design to optimize the performance of lead-free piezoelectrics.

Physical, Mechanical, and Structural Properties of Highly Efficient Nanostructured n- and p-Silicides for Practical Thermoelectric Applications

Cost-effective highly efficient nanostructured n-type Mg2Si1−xSnx and p-type higher manganese silicide (HMS) compositions were prepared for the development of practical waste heat generators for automotive and marine thermoelectric applications, in the frame of the European Commission (EC)-funded PowerDriver project. The physical, mechanical, and structural properties were fully characterized as part of a database-generation exercise required for the thermoelectric converter design. A combination of high maximal ZT values of ∼0.6 and ∼1.1 for the HMS and Mg2Si1−xSnx compositions, respectively, and adequate mechanical properties was obtained.

Dielectric relaxation, lattice dynamics and polarization mechanisms in Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-based lead-free ceramics

In 0.95[0.94Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3]-0.05CaTiO3 ceramics, the temperature TS (dielectric permittivity shoulder at about 125 °C) represents a transition between two different thermally activated dielectric relaxation processes. Below TS, the approximately linear decrease of the permittivity with the logarithm of frequency was attributed to the presence of a dominant ferroelectric phase. Above TS, the permittivity shows a more complicated dependence of the frequency and Raman modes indicate a sudden increase in the spatial disorder of the material, which is ascribed to the presence of a nonpolar phase and to a loss of interaction between polar regions. From 30 to 150 °C, an increase in the maximum polarization with increasing temperature was related to three possible mechanisms: polarization extension favoured by the simultaneous presence of polar and non-polar phases; the occurrence of electric field-induced transitions from weakly polar relaxor to ferroelectric polar phase; and the enhanced polarizabili...

Reversibility in electric field-induced transitions and energy storage properties of bismuth-based perovskite ceramics

The effects of temperature and electric field-induced structural modifications on the energy storage properties of 0.95[0.94Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–0.06BaTiO3]–0.05K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (BNT–BT–5KNN) ceramics were investigated. X-ray diffraction performed on unpoled and poled ceramics in the temperature range 25–500 °C suggested an increment in the rhombohedral phase intensity peaks and in the tetragonal distortion after electrical poling. The rhombohedral phase content reduced with increasing temperature in both unpoled and poled ceramics. In the unpoled ceramic, the rhombohedral phase eventually disappeared, while it survived in the poled specimen up to 500 °C. The stabilization of the rhombohedral ferroelectric phase by dc poling produced remarkable differences in the temperature dependence of permittivity, loss, current–polarization–electric field loops and energy density. As a consequence of a reversible transition induced by an alternating electric field, competitive energy densities (0.39–0.51 J cm−3 in the range 25–175 °C) with those of lead-based and lead-free bulk ceramics recently developed was obtained, indicating bismuth-based perovskites as potential lead-free systems for energy storage applications.

Large ZT enhancement in hot forged nanostructured p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 bulk alloys

Bi2Te3 based alloys play a dominant role in commercial applications in the fields of thermoelectric energy generation and solid state cooling. By combining the densification of nanostructured powders followed by a two-step hot forging process, hierarchical nanostructured p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 alloys with good preferred orientation were successfully fabricated. The Seebeck coefficient in the direction perpendicular to the pressing force, which is highly anisotropic, is much greater than that of the material sintered via one-step sintering. Meanwhile, the nanostructure and crystal defects produced during hot forging also contribute to both higher Seebeck coefficient, and lower thermal conductivity due to more effective and preferential scattering of phonons than electrons. As a result, a 50% enhancement of ZT value (from 1 to above 1.5) in the orientated, hierarchical, nanostructured alloys was obtained.

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of porous magnesium tin silicide prepared using pressure-less spark plasma sintering

Magnesium tin silicide based thermoelectrics contain earth abundant and non-toxic elements, and have the potential to replace established commercial thermoelectrics for energy conversion applications. In this work, porosity was used as a means to improve their thermoelectric properties. Compared to dense samples of Sb doped Mg2Si0.5Sn0.5 with a maximum zT of 1.39 at 663 K, porous samples (37% porosity) prepared by a pressure-less spark plasma sintering technique showed significantly lower thermal conductivity and higher Seebeck coefficient, resulting in an increased maximum zT of 1.63 at 615 K. The possible origins of the enhanced Seebeck coefficient can be attributed to a change of carrier concentration and modification of the band structure, produced by microstructural engineering of the surface composition and particle–particle contacts.

The grain size effect on the properties of Aurivillius phase Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 ferroelectric ceramics

Aurivillius phase, bismuth layer structured ferroelectric Bi(3.15)Nd(0.85)Ti(3)O(12) (BNdT) ceramics with average grain sizes from 90 nm and high densities (>97%) were fabricated by spark plasma sintering. Decreasing grain size produced a diffuse ferro-paraelectric phase transition and a decrease in the Curie point. Compared with BNdT ceramics with grain sizes of micrometre scale, nanograined BNdT ceramics exhibit a depression of the dielectric maximum at the Curie point, enhanced dielectric constant from room temperature to 350 degrees C and dramatically decreased losses. Although ferroelectric switching was greatly inhibited in nanograined ceramics, both ferroelectric and piezoelectric measurements still clearly showed that BNdT ceramics with 90 nm average grain sizes are ferroelectrically switchable. This is the first reported evidence that nanoscale Aurivillius phase ceramics are ferroelectrically active.

High-temperature ferroelectric phase transition observed in multiferroic Bi0.91La0.05Tb0.04FeO3

A single-phase Bi0.91La0.05Tb0.04FeO3 polycrystalline ceramic was fabricated by spark-plasma-sintering the precursor powder prepared by a sol-gel method. Temperature-dependent properties of polycrystalline Bi0.91La0.05Tb0.04FeO3 were characterized by x-ray diffraction, dielectric, and piezoelectric measurement. The x-ray diffraction results revealed a phase transition near 700 °C. Especially, temperature-dependent dielectric behavior demonstrated that there was a dielectric abnormal peak at about 697 °C, in addition to those two well-known dielectric abnormal peaks at 337 °C (Neel temperature) and 831 °C (Curie temperature). The observations, together with thermal depoled behavior, suggest a ferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition from R3c to Pbnm at around 700 °C.

Structural, dielectric, magnetic, and nuclear magnetic resonance studies of multiferroic Y-type hexaferrites

The effect of strontium substitution on structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties of a multiferroic Y-type hexaferrite (chemical formula Ba2−xSrxMg2Fe12O22 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 2) was investigated. Y-type hexaferrite phase formation was not affected by strontium substitution for barium, in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.5, confirmed by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measured at room temperature. Two intermediate magnetic spin phase transitions (at tempertures TI and TII) and a ferrimagnetic-paramagnetic transition (at Curie temperature TC) were identified from the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility. Magnetic transition temperatures (TI, TII, and TC) increased with increasing strontium content. Magnetic hysteresis measurements indicated that by increasing strontium concentration, the coercivity increases, while the saturation magnetization decreases. The 57Fe NMR spectrum of the Y-type hexaferrite measured at 5 K and in zero magnetic field showed remarkable differences compared to that of o...