Electrical properties of Nd doped barium zirconium titanate perovskite ceramics

Barium zirconium titanate ceramics were prepared via the conventional solid-state reaction method. The influence of Nd³⁺ ion substitution on the ferroelectric and dielectric characteristics of barium zirconium titanate is investigated. To assess the thermal stability of Nd-doped samples, calcination was performed at temperatures of 1150, 1200, 1250, 1300, and 1350 °C for 4 h. The ferroelectric behavior of the doped ceramics was analyzed using polarisation-electric field hysteresis loops recorded at room temperature and 50 Hz, revealing improved energy storage density. Dielectric measurements, conducted over a frequency range of 1 kHz to 1 MHz with an impedance analyzer, indicated an increase in dielectric constant upon Nd addition. The BNZT-3 composition exhibited the highest remanent polarisation (Pᵣ = 14.12 μC·cm⁻²), highlighting its superior energy storage performance. Moreover, the materials demonstrated DC conductivity in the range of (1.26–8.37) × 10⁻⁶ S·m⁻¹, confirming enhanced electrical properties.