Dielectric and ferroelectric properties of CuO-doped lead magnesium niobate-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

In this work, we report the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of CuO-doped (1-x)[0.5573Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.4427PbTiO₃]-xBa(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (PMNT-xBZN) relaxor ferrielectric ceramic samples with x=0.1725, 0.1925, 02125 and 0.2325, which were fabricated by a conventional solid-state reaction method. By introducing the CuO into PMNT-xBZN, the sintering temperature of this system is drastically lowered from 1280°C to 1120°C. The second pyrochlore phase, which is often generated during sintering at high temperature, is also inhibited. Meanwhile, broad dielectric peaks with strong dielectric relaxation characteristics are observed from -150°C to 100°C. Slim and slanted P-E hysteresis loops and purely electrostrictive strains with V-shape are obtained simultaneously in studied compositions from 30°C to 150°C. These results suggest that CuO could effectively lower the sintering temperature while maintaining the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of PMNT-xBZN relaxor ferroelectric ceramics.