Eu-doped bismuth-based Bi1.5
M
0.4Mg0.5Nb1.5O7−δ (M = Li and Na) pyrochlores
were synthesized by the organic–inorganic
precursor combustion technique. The study examined the effect of rare
earth element Eu3+ doping on the structural, dielectric,
optical, and luminescence properties of synthesized materials. The
analysis showed that the substitution of Bi3+ cations with
Eu3+ leads to dielectric permittivity decreasing due to
the structural distortion for the Eu-concentrated compositions and
low polarizability of Eu3+. The band gap values predicted
by electronic band structure calculation using DFT-HSE03 are in line
with the experimental ones and tended to increase with the decrease
in the unit cell parameters with Eu concentration changing. By the
optical and luminescence measurements, the specific roles of Li- and
Na-containing host types, additional phases, and dopant concentration
in bismuth niobate pyrochlores are shown concerning the dielectric,
structural, and Eu3+ emission properties. All Eu-doped
bismuth-based pyrochlore ceramics behave as high-frequency dielectrics
up to 200 °C and have mixed conductivity (electronic, proton,
and oxygen) at T > 200 °C. The obtained dielectric
parameters make them suitable for high-frequency ceramic capacitors.