Evidences of grain boundary capacitance effect on the colossal dielectric permittivity in (Nb + In) co-doped TiO2 ceramics

Giant dielectric response and relaxation behavior of Bi3+/W6+ co-doped TiO2 ceramics

With the rapid development of electronic information technology, dielectric ceramics are widely used in the field of passive devices such as multi-layer ceramic capacitors. In this paper, (Bi2/3W1/3)xTi1-xO2 (BWTOx) ceramics with superior dielectric properties have been prepared by using a traditional solid-state method. Remarkably, at a (Bi2/3W1/3)4+ doping level of 0.01, a (Bi2/3W1/3)0.01Ti0.99O2 ceramic achieved a giant dielectric permittivity of ∼1.5 × 104 and a low loss tangent of ∼0.07 at 1 kHz, as well as a good temperature independence, which could satisfy the operating temperature standards for X9R capacitors. The abnormal dielectric relaxation in the low temperature region can be explained by the interface polarization. Data based on the complex impedance spectroscopy and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy results indicate that the colossal permittivity of BWTOx ceramics is mainly ascribed to the internal barrier layer capacitance effect. The findings of this work could provide valuable insights for achieving large dielectric constants and good temperature stability simultaneously in BWTOx and other related electronic ceramic materials.

Machine learning and atomistic origin of high dielectric permittivity in oxides

Discovering new stable materials with large dielectric permittivity is important for future energy storage and electronics applications. Theoretical and computational approaches help design new materials by elucidating microscopic mechanisms and establishing structure-property relations. Ab initio methods can be used to reliably predict the dielectric response, but for fast materials screening, machine learning (ML) approaches, which can directly infer properties from the structural information, are needed. Here, random forest and graph convolutional neural network models are trained and tested to predict the dielectric constant from the structural information. We create a database of the dielectric properties of oxides and design, train, and test the two ML models. Both approaches show similar performance and can successfully predict response based on the structure. The analysis of the feature importance allows identification of local geometric features leading to the high dielectric permittivity of the crystal. Dimensionality reduction and clustering further confirms the relevance of descriptors and compositional features for obtaining high dielectric permittivity.

Giant Dielectric Properties of W6+-Doped TiO2 Ceramics

The effects of the sintering temperature and doping level concentration on the microstructures, dielectric response, and electrical properties of W⁶⁺-doped TiO₂ (WTO) prepared via a solid-state reaction method were investigated. A highly dense microstructure, pure rutile-TiO₂, and homogenously dispersed dopant elements were observed in all of the ceramic samples. The mean grain size increased as the doping concentration and sintering temperature increased. The presence of oxygen vacancies was studied. A giant dielectric permittivity (ε′ ~ 4 × 10⁴) and low tanδ (~0.04) were obtained in the WTO ceramic sintered at 1500 °C for 5 h. The ε′ response at a low temperature was improved by increasing the doping level concentration. The giant ε′ response in WTO ceramics can be described by the interfacial polarization at the interface between the semiconducting and insulating parts, which was supported by the impedance spectroscopy.

Improved microstructure and significantly enhanced dielectric properties of Al3+/Cr3+/Ta5+ triple-doped TiO2 ceramics by Re-balancing charge compensation

The charge compensation mechanism and dielectric properties of the (Al _x Cr_0.05-x )Ta_0.05Ti_0.9O₂ ceramics were studied. The mean grain size slightly changed with the increase in the Al³⁺/Cr³⁺ ratio, while the porosity was significantly reduced. The dielectric permittivity of the co-doped Cr_0.05Ta_0.05Ti_0.9O₂ ceramic was as low as ε'∼ 10³, which was described by self-charge compensation between Cr³⁺-Ta⁵⁺, suppressing the formation of Ti³⁺. Interestingly, ε' can be significantly increased (6.68 × 10⁴) by re-balancing the charge compensation via triple doping with Al³⁺ in the Al³⁺/Cr³⁺ ratio of 1.0, while a low loss tangent (∼0.07) was obtained. The insulating grains of [Cr_0.05 ³⁺Ta_0.05 ⁵⁺]Ti_0.9 ⁴⁺O₁₂ has become the semiconducting grains for the triple-doped Al _x ³⁺[Cr_0.05-x ³⁺Ta_0.05-x ⁵⁺][Ta _x ⁵⁺Ti _x ³⁺Ti_0.9+x ⁴⁺]O_12+3x/2. Considering an insulating grain with low ε' of the Cr_0.05Ta_0.05Ti_0.9O₂ ceramic, the electron-pinned defect-dipoles and interfacial polarization were unlikely to exist supported by the first principles calculations. The significantly enhanced ε' value of the triple-doped ceramic was primarily contributed by the interfacial polarization at the interface between the semiconducting and insulating parts, which was supported by impedance spectroscopy. This research gives an underlying mechanism on the charge compensation in the Al³⁺/Cr³⁺/Ta⁵⁺-doped TiO₂ system for further designing the dielectric and electrical properties of TiO₂-based ceramics for capacitor applications.

High-Performance Giant Dielectric Properties of Cr3+/Ta5+ Co-Doped TiO2 Ceramics

The effects of the sintering temperature on microstructures, electrical properties, and dielectric response of 1%Cr3+/Ta5+ co-doped TiO2 (CrTTO) ceramics prepared using a solid-state reaction method were studied. The mean grain size increased with an increasing sintering temperature range of 1300-1500 °C. The dielectric permittivity of CrTTO ceramics sintered at 1300 °C was very low (ε' ∼198). Interestingly, a low loss tangent (tanδ ∼0.03-0.06) and high ε' (∼1.61-1.9 × 104) with a temperature coefficient less than ≤ ±15% in a temperature range of -60 to 150 °C were obtained. The results demonstrated a higher performance property of the acceptor Cr3+/donor Ta5+ co-doped TiO2 ceramics compared to the Ta5+-doped TiO2 and Cr3+-doped TiO2 ceramics. According to a first-principles study, high-performance giant dielectric properties (HPDPs) did not originate from electron-pinned defect dipoles. By impedance spectroscopy (IS), it was suggested that the giant dielectric response was induced by interfacial polarization at the internal interfaces rather than by the formation of complex defect dipoles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirmed the existence of Ti3+, resulting in the formation of semiconducting parts in the bulk ceramics. Low tanδ and excellent temperature stability were due to the high resistance of the insulating layers with a very high potential barrier of ∼2.0 eV.

Fe3+/Nb5+ Co-doped rutile-TiO2 nanocrystalline powders prepared by a combustion process: preparation and characterization and their giant dielectric response

Fe³⁺/Nb⁵⁺ co-doped TiO₂ (FeNb-TO) nanocrystalline powders were prepared by a combustion process. A pure rutile-TiO₂ phase of powders and sintered ceramics with a dense microstructure was achieved. Both co-dopants were homogeneously dispersed in the ceramic microstructure. The presence of oxygen vacancies was confirmed by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The low-frequency dielectric permittivity enhanced as co-doping concentration increased. The thermally activated giant-dielectric relaxation of FeNb-TO ceramics was observed. Removing the outer-surface layer had a slight effect on the dielectric properties of FeNb-TO ceramics. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation showed that, in the energy preferable configuration, the 2Fe atoms are located near the oxygen vacancy, forming a triangle-shaped FeV_oTi defect complex. This defect cluster was far away from the diamond-shaped 2Nb2Ti defect complex. Thus, the electron-pinned defect-dipoles (EPDD) cannot be formed. The giant-dielectric relaxation process of the FeNb-TO ceramics might be attributed to the interfacial polarization associated with electron hopping between Ti³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ ions inside the grains, rather than due to the surface barrier layer capacitor (SBLC) or EPDD effect.

Structural Phase Transition and Metallization of Nanocrystalline Rutile Investigated by High-Pressure Raman Spectroscopy and Electrical Conductivity

We investigate the structural, vibrational, and electrical transport properties of nanocrystalline rutile and its high-pressure polymorphs by Raman spectroscopy, and AC complex impedance spectroscopy in conjunction with the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) up to ~25.0 GPa using the diamond anvil cell (DAC). Experimental results indicate that the structural phase transition and metallization for nanocrystalline rutile occurred with increasing pressure up to ~12.3 and ~14.5 GPa, respectively. The structural phase transition of sample at ~12.3 GPa is confirmed as a baddeleyite phase, which is verified by six new Raman characteristic peaks. The metallization of the baddeleyite phase is manifested by the temperature-dependent electrical conductivity measurements at ~14.5 GPa. However, upon decompression, the structural phase transition from the metallic baddeleyite to columbite phases at ~7.2 GPa is characterized by the inflexion point of the pressure coefficient and the pressure-dependent electrical conductivity. The recovered columbite phase is always retained to the atmospheric condition, which belongs to an irreversible phase transformation.

Effects of Secondary Phases on the High-Performance Colossal Permittivity in Titanium Dioxide Ceramics

The intensive demands of microelectronics and energy-storage applications are driving the increasing investigations on the colossal permittivity (CP) materials. In this study, we designed a new system of Dy and Nb co-doped TiO₂ ceramics [(Dy_0.5Nb_0.5)_xTi_1-xO₂] with the formation of secondary phases, and then the enhancement of overall dielectric properties (ε_r ∼ 5.0-6.5 × 10⁴ and tan δ < 8%) was realized in the broad composition range of 0.5 ≤ x ≤ 5%. More importantly, effects of secondary phases on microstructure, dielectric properties, and stability were explored from the views of defect-dipoles and internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) effect. According to the defect-dipoles theory, the CP should mainly originate from Nb⁵⁺, and the Dy³⁺ largely contributes to the decreased dielectric loss. Both CP and low dielectric loss were obtained for co-doping with Dy³⁺ and Nb⁵⁺. Besides, the Dy enrichment induced the formation of secondary phases, which were regarded as the low loss unit dispersed into the ceramic matrix, and largely facilitate the decreased dielectric loss. In particular, the analysis of temperature-dependent complex impedance spectra indicated that a stronger IBLC effect caused by the increased grain boundary resistance can also contribute to the optimized CP and low dielectric loss under appropriate contents of secondary phases.

Origin of colossal dielectric response in (In + Nb) co-doped TiO2 rutile ceramics: a potential electrothermal material

(In + Nb) co-doped TiO₂ (TINO) rutile is an emerging material with a colossal dielectric permittivity (CP) and a low dielectric loss over wide temperature and frequency ranges. The electrical inhomogeneous nature of TINO ceramics is demonstrated by direct local current probing with high-resolution conductive atomic force microscopy (cAFM). The CP response in TINO is found to originate from the electron-pinned defect dipole induced conductive cluster effect and the electrode effect. Two types of dielectric relaxations are simultaneously observed due to these two effects. With the given synthesis condition, we found TINO shows a highly leaky feature that impairs its application as a dielectric material. However, the fast-temperature-rising phenomenon found in this work may open a new door for TINO to be applied as a potential electrothermal material with high efficiency, oxidation-proof, high temperature stability, and energy saving.

Colossal permittivity behavior and its origin in rutile (Mg1/3Ta2/3)xTi1-xO2

This work investigates the synthesis, chemical composition, defect structures and associated dielectric properties of (Mg²⁺, Ta⁵⁺) co-doped rutile TiO₂ polycrystalline ceramics with nominal compositions of (Mg²⁺_1/3Ta⁵⁺_2/3)_xTi_1−xO₂. Colossal permittivity (>7000) with a low dielectric loss (e.g. 0.002 at 1 kHz) across a broad frequency/temperature range can be achieved at x = 0.5% after careful optimization of process conditions. Both experimental and theoretical evidence indicates such a colossal permittivity and low dielectric loss intrinsically originate from the intragrain polarization that links to the electron-pinned \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\bf{M}}{{\bf{g}}}_{{\bf{T}}{\bf{i}}}^{{\prime}{\prime} }+{{\bf{V}}}_{{\bf{O}}}^{\bullet \bullet }+{\bf{2}}{\bf{T}}{{\bf{a}}}_{{\bf{T}}{\bf{i}}}^{\bullet }+{\bf{2}}{\bf{T}}{{\bf{i}}}_{{\bf{T}}{\bf{i}}}^{\prime}$$\end{document}MgTi′′+VO••+2TaTi•+2TiTi′ defect clusters with a specific configuration, different from the defect cluster form previously reported in tri-/pent-valent ion co-doped rutile TiO₂. This work extends the research on colossal permittivity and defect formation to bi-/penta-valent ion co-doped rutile TiO₂ and elucidates a likely defect cluster model for this system. We therefore believe these results will benefit further development of colossal permittivity materials and advance the understanding of defect chemistry in solids.

Dielectric properties of Y and Nb co-doped TiO2 ceramics

In this work, the (Y_0.5Nb_0.5)_xTi_1−xO₂ (x = 0.001, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.1) ceramics (as called YNTO) were fabricated by synthesized through a standard solid-state reaction. As revealed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, the YNTOs exhibit tetragonal rutile structure. Meanwhile, the grain size of YNTO ceramics increased and then decreased with the increase of x value, and the largest value reached when x = 0.02. All the YNTO samples display colossal permittivity (~10²–10⁵) over a wide temperature and frequency range. Moreover, the optimal ceramic, (Y_0.5Nb_0.5)_0.02Ti_0.98O₂, exhibits high performance over a broad temperature range from 20 °C to 180 °C; specifically, at 1 kHz, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss are 6.55 × 10⁴ and 0.22 at room temperature, and they are 1.03 × 10⁵ and 0.11 at 180 °C, respectively.

Intrinsic Enhancement of Dielectric Permittivity in (Nb + In) co-doped TiO2 single crystals

The development of dielectric materials with colossal permittivity is important for the miniaturization of electronic devices and fabrication of high-density energy-storage devices. The electron-pinned defect-dipoles has been recently proposed to boost the permittivity of (Nb + In) co-doped TiO₂ to 10⁵. However, the follow-up studies suggest an extrinsic contribution to the colossal permittivity from thermally excited carriers. Herein, we demonstrate a marked enhancement in the permittivity of (Nb + In) co-doped TiO₂ single crystals at sufficiently low temperatures such that the thermally excited carriers are frozen out and exert no influence on the dielectric response. The results indicate that the permittivity attains quadruple of that for pure TiO₂. This finding suggests that the electron-pinned defect-dipoles add an extra dielectric response to that of the TiO₂ host matrix. The results offer a novel approach for the development of functional dielectric materials with large permittivity by engineering complex defects into bulk materials.

Homogeneous/Inhomogeneous-Structured Dielectrics and their Energy-Storage Performances

The demand for dielectric capacitors with higher energy-storage capability is increasing for power electronic devices due to the rapid development of electronic industry. Existing dielectrics for high-energy-storage capacitors and potential new capacitor technologies are reviewed toward realizing these goals. Various dielectric materials with desirable permittivity and dielectric breakdown strength potentially meeting the device requirements are discussed. However, some significant limitations for current dielectrics can be ascribed to their low permittivity, low breakdown strength, and high hysteresis loss, which will decrease their energy density and efficiency. Thus, the implementation of dielectric materials for high-energy-density applications requires the comprehensive understanding of both the materials design and processing. The optimization of high-energy-storage dielectrics will have far-reaching impacts on the sustainable energy and will be an important research topic in the near future.

Origin(s) of the apparent colossal permittivity in (In1/2Nb1/2)xTi1−xO2: clarification on the strongly induced Maxwell–Wagner polarization relaxation by DC bias

The effects of DC bias on the dielectric and electrical properties of co-doped (In_1/2Nb_1/2)_xTi_1−xO₂ (IN-T), where x = 0.05 and 0.1, and single-doped Ti_0.975Nb_0.025O₂ ceramics are investigated.

Dielectric relaxation and localized electron hopping in colossal dielectric (Nb,In)-doped TiO2 rutile nanoceramics

The large dielectric relaxation and the frequency-dependent a.c. conductance were successfully explained by a modified electron hopping model.

Origin of colossal dielectric permittivity of rutile Ti₀.₉In₀.₀₅Nb₀.₀₅O₂: single crystal and polycrystalline

In this paper, we investigated the dielectric properties of (In + Nb) co-doped rutile TiO₂ single crystal and polycrystalline ceramics. Both of them showed colossal, up to 10⁴, dielectric permittivity at room temperature. The single crystal sample showed one dielectric relaxation process with a large dielectric loss. The voltage-dependence of dielectric permittivity and the impedance spectrum suggest that the high dielectric permittivity of single crystal originated from the surface barrier layer capacitor (SBLC). The impedance spectroscopy at different temperature confirmed that the (In + Nb) co-doped rutile TiO₂ polycrystalline ceramic had semiconductor grains and insulating grain boundaries, and that the activation energies were calculated to be 0.052 eV and 0.35 eV for grain and grain boundary, respectively. The dielectric behavior and impedance spectrum of the polycrystalline ceramic sample indicated that the internal barrier layer capacitor (IBLC) mode made a major contribution to the high ceramic dielectric permittivity, instead of the electron-pinned defect-dipoles.

Colossal permittivity and impedance analysis of niobium and aluminum co-doped TiO2 ceramics

Niobium and aluminum co-doped TiO₂ ceramics, i.e., (Nb_0.5Al_0.5)_xTi_1−xO₂ (x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, abbreviated as NAT100x) were synthesized via a solid-state reaction route.

SiO2–Ti0.98In0.01Nb0.01O2 composite ceramics with low dielectric loss, high dielectric permittivity and an enhanced breakdown electric field

SiO₂–Ti_0.98In_0.01Nb_0.01O₂ (SiO₂–TINO) composite ceramics were synthesized by solid-state sintering methods, where the lower dielectric loss and enhanced breakdown electric field were achieved.

Enhancement of dielectric constant in a niobium doped titania system: an experimental and theoretical study

A very high dielectric constant of Nb doped titania is observed due to both the interfacial effect and formation of complex defect dipoles.

Valence and electronic trap states of manganese in SrTiO3-based colossal permittivity barrier layer capacitors

Valence and trap level of manganese in the (Mn, Nb)-doped SrTiO₃ internal barrier layer capacitor was revealed by EELS and Q-DLTS, explaining macroscopic properties.