Investigation of pyroelectric potential in 0.94Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3-based ceramics

Abstract

Pyroelectric materials have been widely investigated for various industrial applications such as infrared detectors, thermal cameras, sensors, medical devices, etc. Apart from these applications, waste thermal energy conversion for low-power electronic devices and battery-less wireless sensor applications receive significant industrial and academic interest. However, most of them are lead-based, which is hazardous and toxic to the environment and human health. Hence, researchers have put more emphasis on lead-free ferroelectric materials. In this regard, lead-free ferroelectric (1-x)Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-xBaTiO3-based compositions are widely studied due to their tunable pyroelectric, electrocaloric, energy storage, and enhanced piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary. Hence, in the present analysis (1-x)Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-xBaTiO3 compositions are used to improve the working temperature range and pyroelectric figures of merit (FOM). The (1-x)Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-xBaTiO3-based ferroelectric ceramics are fabricated using a solid-state oxide reaction route. Chapter 2 describes material processing methods and characterization techniques used in the present thesis. Finally, device fabrication is described vividly for real-time energy harvesting.