Influence of sintering temperature on microstructure of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 ceramics

Abstract Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT)-based compositions are among the most promising lead-free ferroelectrics. Although studies of modification of NBT-based compositions’ properties are a hot topic, there has been very little attention paid to their characterization from the standpoint of ceramics and the process of producing them. Here, we report on comprehensive analysis of the influence of sintering temperature across a wide temperature range (1020–1240 °C) on the complete microstructure and chemical content of NBT ceramics produced by solid state sintering, which is dominating in producing of NBT ceramics. Thorough attention is paid to the grain size distribution, porosity, and inhomogeneity. …