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Synergistic Design Strategies Breaking the Energy Storage Trade-Off in Lead-Free Dielectrics
Ruiyi Jing1, Leiyang Zhang1, Yule Yang1
1Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education & International Center for Dielectric Research, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Researchers developed lead-free dielectric capacitors using Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT)-based relaxor ferroelectrics. This strategy optimizes polar nanoregion (PNR) responses, achieving high energy-storage density and breakdown strength for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Ceramics Engineering
Background:
- Developing lead-free dielectric capacitors with high energy-storage (ES) density and breakdown strength (Eb) is challenging due to premature polarization saturation in conventional ferroelectrics.
- This limits the recoverable energy-storage (Wrec) density, creating a trade-off between Wrec and Eb.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a mechanism-guided strategy for Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT)-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics.
- To optimize polar nanoregion (PNR) responses and delay polarization saturation for enhanced energy storage.
Main Methods:
- Utilized phase-field simulations to understand the role of interconnected rhombohedral/tetragonal (R/T)-related PNRs in electric field activation.
- Engineered compositional disorder and R/T phase coexistence in the BNT-based system to create an optimized PNR landscape.
- Fabricated and characterized multilayer ceramic capacitors using atomic-resolution microscopy.
Main Results:
- Achieved a record energy-storage potential (ξ = Wrec/Eb) of 278 J kV-1 m-2.
- Delivered a high recoverable energy-storage (Wrec) density of 26.4 J cm-3 at 950 kV cm-1 with 89% efficiency.
- Confirmed pronounced local chemical heterogeneity and coexisting R/T-related PNRs, consistent with simulation predictions.
Conclusions:
- The developed strategy effectively overcomes the intrinsic energy-storage density-breakdown strength trade-off.
- Optimized PNR dynamics and delayed polarization saturation are key to enhancing dielectric capacitor performance.
- This provides a generalizable framework for next-generation high-performance dielectric capacitors for energy storage and pulsed-power applications.
