Multifunctional Nd(3+) substituted Na(0.5)Bi(0.5)TiO(3) as lead-free ceramics with enhanced luminescence, ferroelectric and energy harvesting properties

Herein, we present comprehensive investigations of the optical and electrical properties of Nd(3+) substitution in sodium bismuth titanate ceramics (NBNT) with varying Nd(3+) concentration. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) emission for both unpoled and poled samples is observed to be a maximum for an Nd(3+) substitution of 1 mol%. Upon poling, the PL intensity is observed to be quenched, consistent with the obtained XRD data, indicating an electric-field induced structural ordering towards higher symmetry, confirmed with the help of structural refinement. The evaluated ferroelectric to relaxor and antiferroelectric relaxor T((F–R)) was observed clearly from the poled dielectric–loss curve for the 1 mol% of Nd(3+) substitution. Furthermore, the optimized NBNT exhibited a lower E(c) and a higher off-resonance figure of merit (FOM(off)) for energy harvesting by 12% and 30%, respectively, in comparison with un-doped NBT.