Submicron barium calcium zirconium titanate ceramic for energy storage synthesised via the co-precipitation method

Abstract Monodisperse submicron barium calcium zirconium titanate [(Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3] powders with homogeneous spherical microstructure were synthesised via the co-precipitation method. The (Ba + Ca)/(Zr + Ti) molar ratio and concentrations of reactants and NaOH used in the synthesis process were adjusted to obtain a single phase. Thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopies and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyse the phase formation temperature, crystalline structure and reaction mechanism of (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 formation at room temperature. The results suggested that the pure perovskite phase formation temperature was approximately 900–950 °C, which is considerably lower than that of BCZT powders synthesised using the conventional solid-state reaction (1250 °C). The dense phase-pure ceramics synthesised at 1320 °C displayed high recoverable energy storage performance (0.25 J/cm3) and breakthrough field (100 kV/cm). This work provides a new strategy to lower the synthesis temperature and improve the electrical properties of perovskites as well as revealing a possible formation mechanism.