High energy density and efficiency in (Pb,La)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3 antiferroelectric ceramics with high La3+ content and optimized Sn4+ content

In this work, to simultaneously obtain a high recoverable energy density (Wre) and efficiency (η) in one kind of material, we investigate the effects of Sn4+ content on the energy storage capacity of (Pb0.955La0.03)(Zr0.50SnxTi0.50-x)O3 antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics with a high La3+ content. La3+ can cause polarization-electric field (P-E) loops to narrow down, therefore, resulting in a good energy storage performance. On account of the replacement of Sn4+ with larger ion radius for Ti4+, the tolerance factor decreases, and therefore, the AFE phase stability improves. This modification results in an enhancement of the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase switching electric field (EA), which favours an increase in Wre. However, at the same time, with the increase of Sn4+ content, the maximum polarization decreases, which can lead to a deterioration in Wre. As a result, the optimal energy storage performance is achieved in the (Pb0.955La0.03)(Zr0.50Sn0.42Ti0.08)O3 AFE ceramic, which possesses a high Wre (3.99 J/cm3) and η (79.2%). Additionally, the Wre and η exhibit a good temperature stability from 25 to 125 °C. These results indicate that this kind of ceramic can be used to prepare dielectric capacitors for working in different environments.