The impact of Gd on structural, morphology, dielectric behavior of BaTiO₃

Barium Titanate (Gd_xBa_(1-x)TiO₃) modified with replacing Barium (Ba) with Gadolinium (Gd) (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.625, 0.75, 0.875, and 1 mol%) were synthesized via the a modified solid-state reaction method. This study elucidates the substitution mechanism of Gd³⁺ ions into Ba²⁺ ions sites, leading to the creation of Ba and oxygen vacancies to maintain charge neutrality. Structural analyses, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectroscopy, FE-SEM, and Raman spectroscopy, provided insights into the compositional and structural characteristics of the composites. A structural phase transition from near cubic tetragonal to orthorhombic was observed in Gd-modified BaTiO₃, with coexisting phase noted in (Gd/Ba)TiO₃ samples. FE-SEM analysis revealed reduced particle size and particle shape morphology with increasing Gd content. Photoluminescence (PL) confirmed the impact of the immersion of Gd ions on the BaTiO₃. Dielectric properties were examined across varying frequencies (100 Hz-10 MHz) and temperatures (30-500 °C), showing a decrease in dielectric constant with increasing Gd content and frequency. This study offers an effective modulation of electronic and dielectric properties through the controlled incorporation of Gd in BaTiO₃ material, which offers valuable insights for the development of advanced functional materials tailored for various technological applications.