Lead-free potassium sodium niobate piezoelectric ceramics substituted with lithium and antimony (Na0.5K0.5)1−x(LiSb)xNb1−xO3 have been synthesized by conventional solid state sintering method. Compositionally engineered around the orthorhombic-tetragonal polymorphic phase transition, the dielectric and piezoelectric properties were further enhanced with the addition of lithium and antimony substituted into the perovskite structure. The combined effects of lithium and antimony additions resulted in a downward shift in the orthorhombic-tetragonal (TO-T) without significantly reducing TC. The dielectric, piezoelectric, and electromechanical properties were found to be ε∕ε0>1300, d33>260pC∕N, and kp>50%, while maintaining low dielectric loss. The enhanced polarizability associated with the polymorphic TO-T transition and high TC transition (∼390°C) should provide a wide range of temperature operation.

The effect of Gd2O3 on the electrical properties of (Co, Nb)-doped SnO2 varistors was investigated. It was found that the nonlinear coefficient presents a peak of α = 30 for the sample doped with 1.5mol% Gd2O3. The increase of the breakdown electrical field from 325V/mm to 1560V/mm with increasing Gd2O3 concentration is mainly attributed to the decrease of the grain size. The decrease of relative density and resistance of grain boundary indicate that Gd2O3 should be a two-sided dopant and the nonlinear coefficient peak was explained. To illustrate the grain-boundary barrier formation of (Gd, Co, Nb) doped SnO2 varistors, a modified defect barrier model was introduced, in which the negatively charged acceptors substituting for Sn ions should not be located at the grain interfaces instead at SnO2 lattice sites of depletion layers.

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The nonlinear electrical properties of TiO2-based varistor doped with 0.25mol% Ta2O5 and different contents of Sc2O3 were investigated. It was found that the TiO2 varistor ceramic doped with 0.10mol% Sc2O3 exhibited an optimal nonlinear coefficient of 7.8, a breakdown electrical field of 16.0V/mm, and relative dielectric constant of 1.27 × 105 (measured at 1 kHz). In order to analyze the effect of Sc2O3 on TiO2 varistors, studies were made on the capacitance versus voltage characteristics. A Schottky-type barrier, which is assumed as the origin of varistor behavior, was inferred from the C-V measurement. The barrier height and donor concentration were obtained as 0.41eV and 1.21 × 1026cm-3, respectively, for sample doped with 0.10mol% Sc2O3. Analogized to the ZnO varistors, the formation mechanism of Schottky-type barrier was discussed in this paper by the theory of defect in crystal lattice.

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