Large electrostrain and high energy-storage of (1-x)[0.94(Bi_0.5Na_0.5) TiO₃-0.06BaTiO₃]-xBa(Sn_0.70Nb_0.24)O₃ lead-free ceramics

(1-x)[0.94(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃-0.06BaTiO₃]-xBa(Sn_0.70Nb_0.24)O₃ (abbreviated as BNTBT-100xBSN) lead-free ceramics were fabricated with a relative density greater than 96 %, and the structure as well as performance were tested. BNTBT-100xBSN ceramics are pseudo-cubic perovskite structure, with dense surface morphology. Doping BSN can effectively reduce the dielectric loss of ceramics and increase the relaxation properties to a certain extent. The randomly distributed ferroelectric phase was replaced by polar nano regions, thereby improving the electro-strain and energy storage performance of the system. The largest electro-strain and the corresponding normalized strain (d₃₃*) reach ~ 0.43 % and 633 pm/V respectively in the BNTBT-1BSN ceramic. The largest effective energy storage density reaching ~ 1.28 J/cm³ was tested in BNTBT-2BSN. BNTBT-100xBSN ceramics provide a feasible idea for the systematic research of lead-free ferroelectrics and improvements in electro-strain and energy storage applications.