Investigation of the ferroelectric-relaxor crossover in Ce-doped BaTiO 3 ceramics by impedance spectroscopy and Raman study

BaCe x Ti1- x O3 (x = 0.06, 0.10, and 0.20) solid solutions were prepared via conventional the solid-state reaction and sintered at 1500°C for 4 h, resulting in dense single phase ceramics with homogeneous microstructures. The electric field dependence of permittivity of the BaCe x Ti1- x O3 ceramics was investigated in detail, together with the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition features. A transformation from normal to relaxor ferroelectrics was observed by increasing the Ce concentration. For low-Ce content, a substitution of Ce on both A and B site positions was proposed from the dielectric study and confirmed by Raman analysis. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.