Improvement of microstructure and electrical properties of (Bi3.4La0.4Pr0.4Sr0.4Ce0.4)Ti3FeO15 ceramics by multi-cation substitution and entropy engineering
摘要
This study presents the successful fabrication of (Bi3.4La0.4Pr0.4Sr0.4Ce0.4)Ti3FeO15 (BLPSCTF) high-entropy ceramics via solid-state reaction. The entropy-engineered A-site design with five cations in the n = 4 Aurivillius phaseinduced significant lattice distortion and grain refinement, leading to a more homogeneous microstructure. Compared to pristine Bi5Ti3FeO15, BLPSCTF exhibits a 53% reduction in dielectric loss at 10 kHz, a decreased in grain size from 0.91 to 0.55 μm, and enhanced ferroelectric properties, with a 70% increased in remanent polarization (Pr) and a coercive field (Ec) of 85 kV/cm. The improvement is attributed to the high-entropy stabilized microstructure, which effectively suppresses Bi volatilization and reduces oxygen vacancy concentration. This work demonstrates that the high-entropy strategy provides an effective pathway for developing high-performance lead-free ferroelectric materials.