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Bismuth layer‐structured ferroelectrics with non‐sheet‐like polyhedral microstructures
Author(s) -
He Xiang,
Chen Chen,
Zeng Huarong,
Li Yongxiang,
Yang Qunbao,
Yi Zhiguo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/jace.17814
Subject(s) - materials science , microstructure , ferroelectricity , coercivity , ceramic , bismuth titanate , dielectric , bismuth , curie temperature , composite material , hysteresis , polarization (electrochemistry) , mineralogy , condensed matter physics , optoelectronics , metallurgy , ferromagnetism , chemistry , physics
Bismuth layer‐structured ferroelectrics (BLSFs) are promising candidates for a variety of applications because of their high Curie temperature and environmentally benign nature as compared to their lead contained counterparts. Featured by the mica‐like grain growth habit and spontaneous polarization along crystallographic a ‐ b plane, it is difficult to obtain excellent ferroelectric properties for most of the BLSFs fabricated by the conventional ceramic route. Herein, a new approach is reported to obtain Bi 2 WO 6 and Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 BLSF ceramics with non‐sheet‐like polyhedral microstructures. The intriguing ferroelectric hysteresis behavior, dielectric tunability, and domain structures are successfully observed. The Bi 2 WO 6 ceramic with a unique single‐domain structure in each grain shows a typical ferroelectric polarization‐electric field hysteresis loop with a remnant polarization of ~17.8 μC cm −2 and a coercive field of ~43 kV cm −1 . These values have never been obtained in Bi 2 WO 6 ceramics with sheet‐like microstructure. The Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 ceramic with irregular‐shaped and curved tiny domains exhibits an antiferroelectric‐like behavior, which is significantly different from the reported Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 counterparts that have plate‐like anisotropic grains. The present study would stimulate microstructure design and property modulation for other layer‐structured materials.