LAUSR

Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Zr 0.1 Ti 0.9 O 3 (BCZT) powders were prepared by sol-gel process followed by calcining at different temperatures varying from 600°C to 950°C, and the BCZT ceramics were then prepared using the as-synthesized powders. The effect of calcining temperature on structure, dielectric properties and ferroelectric properties of BCZT ceramics were studied. Impurity was observed in powders calcined at 600°C, and single-phase perovskite structure was obtained when calcining temperature increased to 650°C, which was significantly lower than that of the solid-state reaction. The high-density ceramics with homogenous microstructure were obtained by sintering at 1300°C for 2 h. The dielectric constants as a function of measuring temperature exhibited a diffuse phase transition peak. With the increase of calcining temperature, the slimmer P–E loops were obtained, and the BCZT ceramic calcined at 950°C exhibits a relatively high dielectric constant ( ε r  = 2013) and low dielectric loss (tan δ = 0.020) at 1 kHz and room temperature.