Defects and charge transport in Mn-doped K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramics

The relationship between charge transport, defects and ferroelectric response is established for K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN) and Mn-doped KNN ceramics. At room temperature the conduction in KNN is associated with hole transport and can be suppressed by Mn doping. Because of that a less leaky ferroelectric hysteresis loop is obtained for Mn-doped KNN. At high temperatures the conduction is dominated by the motion of ionized oxygen vacancies, the concentration of which increases with Mn doping. This work adds relevant information on KNN and leverages its potential application.