Enhanced dielectric performance in BaTiO3 ceramics by diffusion-controlled core-shell structuring with 2D Ca2Nb3O10 nanosheets
摘要
The rapid advancement in miniaturized electronic devices requires advanced multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), constituting ultra-thin dielectric layers that exhibit high capacitance and reliable performance. BaTiO3 (BT)-based ceramics, widely utilized due to their high permittivity, face significant challenges in controlling grain growth and dielectric stability during sintering. In this study, we propose a novel core-shell structuring approach using Ca2Nb3O10 (CN) nanosheets to encapsulate BT nanoparticles, effectively maintaining fine-grained microstructures on the order of the starting BT particle size after sintering. The addition of CN nanosheets resulted in relaxor-like dielectric behaviors by broadening and suppressing the dielectric anomaly upon the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition near 120 °C. Importantly, ceramics sintered via a Two-step sintering (TSS) process demonstrated significantly enhanced permittivity (~ 2,100 at room temperature), dense microstructures (> 95% relative density), and preserved core-shell structures compared to conventional sintering. These findings confirm the effectiveness of CN nanosheet-assisted diffusion control in engineering advanced BT-based ceramics with enhanced electrical stability under high electric fields and optimized dielectric performance suitable for MLCC applications.