Ferroelectric tungsten bronze-based ceramics with high-energy storage performance via weakly coupled relaxor design and grain boundary optimization

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 8651 - 9
• Main Authors: Liu, Jiaming, Jiang, Ying, Zhang, Weichen, Cheng, Xu, Zhao, Peiyao, Zhen, Yichao, Hao, Yanan, Guo, Limin, Bi, Ke, Wang, Xiaohui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 05-10-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 140/133; 147/135; 147/143; 147/3; 639/301/119; 639/766/119/996; Boundary layers; Ceramics; Chemical composition; Chemical precipitation; Design optimization; Electric fields; Energy consumption; Energy storage; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectricity; Frequency stability; Grain boundaries; Grain refinement; Humanities and Social Sciences; Inhomogeneity; multidisciplinary; Perovskites; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sintering; Tungsten; Tungsten bronze; Ultrahigh temperature
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52934-x

A multiscale regulation strategy has been demonstrated for synthetic energy storage enhancement in a tetragonal tungsten bronze structure ferroelectric. Grain refining and second-phase precipitation (perovskite phase) are introduced in the BaSrTiNb
2-x
Ta
x
O
9
ceramics by regulating the composition and sintering process. Disordered polarization and distribution, chemical inhomogeneity, and insulating boundary layers are achieved to provide the fundamental structural origin of the relaxation characteristic, high breakdown strength, and superior energy storage performance. Thus, an ultrahigh energy storage density of 12.2 J cm
−3
with an low energy consumption was achieved at an electric field of 950 kV cm
−1
. This is the highest known energy storage performance in tetragonal tungsten bronze-based ferroelectric. Notably, this ceramic shows remarkable stability over frequency, temperature, and cycling electric fields. This work brings new material candidates and structure design for developing of energy storage capacitors apart from the predominant perovskite ferroelectric ceramics.
The authors enhance energy storage performance in tetragonal tungsten bronze structure ferroelectrics using a multiscale regulation strategy. By adjusting the composition and sintering process of BaSrTiNb
2-x
Ta
x
O
9
ceramics, they introduce grain refinement and perovskite second-phase precipitation.