The solid solution between the normal ferroelectricPb(Zr1/2Ti1/2)O3(PZT) and relaxor ferroelectricPb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PNN) was synthesized by the columbite method. The phase structure and dielectric properties of xPZT-(1−x)PNN where x=0.4-0.9and the Zr/Ti composition was fixed close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) were investigated. With these data, the ferroelectric phase diagram between PZT and PNN has been established. The relaxor ferroelectric nature of PNN gradually transformed towards a normal ferroelectric state towards the composition 0.7PZT-0.3PNN, in which the permittivity was characterized by a sharp peak and the disappearance of dispersive behavior. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated the coexistence of both the rhombohedral and tetragonal phases at the composition 0.8PZT-0.2PNN, a new morphotropic phase boundary within this system. Examination of the dielectric spectra indicates that PZT-PNN exhibits an extremely high relative permittivity near the MPB composition. The permittivity shows a shoulder at the rhombohedral to tetragonal phase transition temperature TRT=195°C, and then a maximum permittivity (36 000 at 10kHz) at the transition temperature Tmax=277°C at the MPB composition. The maximum transition temperature of this system was 326°C at the composition x=0.9 with the relative permittivity of 32 000 at 10kHz.

In order to commercialize the rapidly developing technology of energy harvesters, the following devices need to be developed further for enhancing output performance, flexibility, scalability, facile fabrication, and cheaper price. The composite-based triboelectric nanogenerator (CTENG), which contains the above properties, is a promising technology that has attracted special interest for a decade. Focus has been placed on the hybrid concept between the composite-based piezoelectric nanogenerator (CPENG) and CTENG in order to enhance CTENG efficiency. This study presented a high-performance hybridized CPENG and CTENG device, which operated from the composite film of Ti0.8O2 nanosheets (Ti NSs)/silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) co-doped BaTiO3 nanopowders (BT NPOs) inside the polydimethyl­siloxane (PDMS) host. The 0.3 vol % of Ti NSs and 1.5 vol % of Ag NPs exhibited the optimum harvesting performance in all compositions, with an output voltage and current density reaching approximately 150 V and 0.32 μA/cm2, respectively. Their harvesting performance was approximately 60 and 32 times higher than that of the CPENG constructed from pure PDMS. In addition, practical demonstration of the proposed device was investigated. The hybridized CPENG and CTENG device could operate in a long-term cyclic operation, charge the capacitor for storing energy, and also drive LEDs to brighten. This work suggested facile device fabrication and made a guideline to develop high-performance nanogenerators, which is crucial for device development and practical usage in the future.

While the soft chemistry of layered alkali metal oxides is adequately understood, the effect of the post-synthesis thermal treatment on their structure, composition, and properties has been underexplored. In this article, we thoroughly investigated the bulk and surface modifications of KMTiO (M = Ni, Cu, Zn) lepidocrocite titanate thermally treated within 200 °C above its synthetic temperature under air. This practice was typically employed in e.g., specimen fabrication for physical property measurements. We observed the expansion of the interlayer distance (b/2) accompanied by a reduction in layer charge density. These findings can be explained by the deintercalation of interlayer K ions and the loss of intralayer Ti, M, and O species. Meanwhile, the enrichment of potassium and carbonate on the surfaces was evident. The slight differences in dielectric properties of the pellets thermally treated at different temperatures were attributed to the combination of bulk and surface modifications. At 10 Hz and RT-250 °C, the maximum dielectric constants ε' of ∼10 with the dielectric loss (tan δ) ∼0.9-1.5 were obtained for KZnTiO.

Co4Nb2O9 becomes antiferromagnetic (AFM) below 27.4 K with a spin-flop transition at a critical field, Hc, of 12 kOe. Room-temperature dielectric properties are dominated by finite electronic conductivity. Below 125 K, the charge carriers are frozen-out and the dielectric constant is controlled by the lattice phonons. A large (12%) spin flop-driven enhancement in dielectric constant is found in the very narrow temperature interval (Δ T = 1.6 K) in the vicinity of the AFM phase transition. Magneto-dielectric anomaly shows low-frequency dispersion; therefore, the H-induced changes in the phonon eigenfrequencies are unlikely. Other possible reasons for unusual magneto-dielectric effect in Co4Nb2O9 are discussed.