Synthesis and Characterization of Calcium and Tin Co-Doped Barium Titanate (Ba0.91Ca0.09Sn0.01Ti0.99O3) Ceramic Using Solid State

The lead content in piezoelectric ceramic (lead-zirconate-titanate) capacitors is a major draw back due to its hazardous nature. As a result, alternate materials must be sought. The Ba0.91Ca0.09Sn0.01Ti0.99O3 (BCST) ceramic was synthesized via solid-state synthesis and studied via energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and dielectric measurements for use in ceramic capacitors. The BCST ceramic EDS spectrum confirmed Ca, Ba, O, Sn and Ti, as well as a trace quantity of C, Au, and Pd impurities. As determined by ImageJ, the SEM image shows grains of inhomogeneous shape and porosity with a nonuniform distribution of grains and an average grain size of 1.64 μm. The XRD results show that a crystalline ceramic with a tetragonal perovskite structure and an average crystalline size of 26.35 nm exists. The evolution of the FTIR and dielectric behavior reveals the presence of two phase transitions, TR-O and TO-T (tetragonal-orthorhombic phase transition at 150and#176;C and orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition at 500and#176;C), as well as a dielectric constant relaxation behavior that makes it suitable for use in ceramic capacitors. The properties obtained are suitable for the manufacture of multilayer ceramic capacitors using Ba0.91Ca0.09Sn0.01Ti0.99O3.