Structural, dielectric, impedance, and ferroelectric studies of LiNbO3-doped K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramics

Currently, sophisticated advanced electronics require ferroelectric materials with high dielectric response. Lead-free (1−x)K0.5Na0.5NbO3-xLiNbO3 (KNN-xLiN) ceramics with x = 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 were produced using a solid-state method, resulting in a greater dielectric constant, a lower impedance, and an increased conductivity. Compared to conventional ferroelectrics, KNN-0.01LiN ceramics have a greater activation energy (Erel) of 1.33 eV and a large σac value of 10−3− 10−2 S/m in the frequency range of 20 Hz–1 MHz. The peak that corresponds to the orthogonal–tetragonal (TO−T) phase shifts toward the lower temperature side and the peak that corresponds to TT−C shifts toward the higher temperature side as dopant percentage increases in the KNN-xLiN ceramics. The observed data may provide light on a key member of the team involved in the creation of upgraded ferroelectrics with improved performance. This result sheds light on the process underlying the improved characteristics of K0.5Na0.5NbO3-based ceramics and may lead to the development of high performance ferroelectrics that will benefit a variety of functional materials.