Effect of the Liquid‐Phase Characteristic on the Microstructures and Dielectric Properties of Donor‐ (Niobium) and Acceptor‐ (Magnesium) Doped Barium Titanate

Abstract

Changes in the microstructure and dielectric properties with the variation of the donor/acceptor ratio in BaTiO 3 ceramics were investigated. In donor‐rich specimens, a liquid that appeared during sintering did not penetrate into grain boundaries. However, in the acceptor‐rich specimens, the grains were separated by a liquid film during sintering. The much higher mobility of the liquid film than that of the grain boundaries was suggested to cause extensive grain growth in acceptor‐rich BaTiO 3 . The macroscopic homogenization of dopants because of grain growth in acceptor‐rich specimens resulted in changes in the dielectric properties.