Enhanced Thermal Energy Harvesting Using Li, K‐Doped Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ Lead‐Free Ferroelectric Ceramics

Abstract

Abstract This study deals with the investigation of lead‐free ferroelectric materials for potential thermal energy harvesting applications. Lead‐free ferroelectric ceramics offer nonpolluting alternatives to their lead‐based counterparts. However, their applications are limited because of their comparatively low performance. In this study, an attempt has been made to shed some light on the thermal energy harvesting potential of these materials through the use of Olsen cycle. Two compositions of Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 (BNT), Bi 0.5 Na 0.44 K 0.06 TiO 3 (BNKT), and Bi 0.5 Na 0.425 Li 0.075 TiO 3 (BNLT), were explored. It was observed that maximum energy densities of 1986 J L −1 per cycle (0.1–5.2 MV m −1 ; 25–120 °C) and 1146 J L −1 per cycle (0.1–11.2 MV m −1 ; 25–110 °C) were obtained for BNKT and BNLT samples, respectively. The reported energy density is higher than that of most lead‐based compounds. The results motivate the possible use of lead‐free materials for thermal energy harvesting applications.