Energy storage properties of NaNbO₃-based lead-free superparaelectrics with large antiferrodistortion

Abstract

NaNbO₃-based lead-free energy storage ceramics are essential candidates for next-generation pulsed power capacitors, especially under the background of energy saving and environmental protection. However, the room-temperature antiferroelectric P phase of pure NaNbO₃ ceramics limits its further development in energy storage owing to the irreversible antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phase transition under electric fields. In this work, CaZrO₃ was introduced to NaNbO₃ ceramics to destroy the long-range polarization ordering but keep large antiferrodistortion, causing the formation of superparaelectric state with macrodomains, which can be identified by the refinement results of high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and TEM results. Combined with the fine grains, dense and homogeneous microstructure, ergodic relaxation behaviors, and delayed polarization saturation, a high recoverable energy storage density of ~5.4 J/cm³ and efficiency of ~82% can be realized in 0.85NaNbO₃-0.15CaZrO₃ ceramics at an ultrahigh breakdown electric field of ~68 kV/mm. The results found in this work suggest that the supersparaelectric with non-cubic phase would be a good candidate for generating excellent dielectric energy storage properties.

Keywords

NaNbO₃ / energy storage / relaxor ferroelectric / oxygen octahedral distortion

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