Effect of rare-earth doping on the dielectric property and polarization behavior of antiferroelectric sodium niobate-based ceramics

The lead-free 0.96NaNbO_(3)-0.04CaSnO_(3) ceramics with rare-earth dopants(La,Sm and Lu)(NCLn100x)were prepared and characterized.It is found that a certain amount of La substitution stabilizes the antiferroelectric(AFE)phase but alleviates the lattice distortion in the fresh samples.Re-entrant-like characteristics are observed in the temperature e dielectric constant curves with the room temperature P phase gradually replaced by a possible R phase.Relaxor-like hysteresis loops with suppressed hysteresis loss and remanent polarization were obtained at high La content,achieving a relatively high Wre of 2.1 J/cm^(3) at a low electric field(250 kV/cm).The relaxation behaviors of the ferroelectric(FE)domain measured by piezoresponse force microscopy suggest an even long characteristic relaxation time of field-induced FE phase,which is different from the situations of other AFE perovskites.Via an explanatory defected diatomic chain model,we propose that a much larger mass of substitutive ion than the origin one helps to induce low-frequency localized mode,which is believed to be in favor of the formation of polar nano-regions and hence strengthens the dynamic stability of FE phase during electric field loading.Our research provides a further understanding of the tuning strategy for enhancing the antiferroelectricity of the NaNbO_(3)-based system.