Structural and electrical properties of CuO-doped NaNbO₃ ceramics

Abstract Ceramics are one of the key materials of today’s industry. The manufacturing technique used for preparing the ceramics greatly affects the material’s structural and electrical properties. Therefore, the elements and their distribution in the material as well as understanding their relation with the manufacturing process are the key factors for managing the expected outcome. In this study, NaNbO 3 ceramics and the effect of CuO-doping in solid state calcination process was investigated. For this purpose pure, 0.5 mol.% and 1.0 mol.% CuO-doped sample discs were prepared. Crystallite size, strain, atomic structure, lattice parameters and atomic occupancies of the material were calculated by using X-ray diffraction patterns combined with Rietveld analysis. Additionally, the samples were investigated with the scanning electron microscopy technique to observe the effect of CuO doping. For electrical characterization, dielectric constant and tangent loss measurements were carried out on samples. As a result, it was concluded that CuO doping affected the crystal structure of the NaNbO 3 which triggered the changes in its electrical behavior. The observed effects were more pronounced at 1.0 mol.% CuO content.