LAUSR

Abstract Rhombohedral samarium doped Lead based ceramic materials were fabricated by a high temperature conventional solid state mixed oxide ceramic process. The ceramic composition Pb1-x-3y/2Bax Re y 3 + Nb2O6 (x = 0.35 and y = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.06, Re3+ = Sm3+). The pure and Sm3+ doped lead barium niobate ceramic materials are single phase with rhombohedral(hexagonal) symmetry obtained from powder x-ray diffraction (XRD). The grain size has been measured for all the compositions and lying between 1.60 and 2.90 μm. Broad dielectric peak phase transitions observed with temperature in pure and Sm3+ ion modified lead barium niobate ceramic materials. It is observed that the high values of piezoelectric charge coefficients in d31 and d33 in Sm3+ doped lead barium niobate ceramics. The mechanical quality factor Qm and d33 increases with increase of Sm3+ ion concentration and indicating a highly polarisable lead ion contributing to high Curie temperature dielectric constant.