The Effect of Pr Doping Contents on the Structural, Microstructure and Dielectric Properties of BaBi(2)Nb(2)O(9) Aurivillius Ceramics

Aurivillius BaBi(2)Nb(2)O(9) and Ba(1-x)Pr(x)Bi(2)Nb(2)O(9) ceramics were successfully synthesized by a simple solid state reaction method. Ceramics were prepared from reactants: Nb(2)O(5), Bi(2)O(3), BaCO(3) and Pr(2)O(3). The microstructure, structure, chemical composition, and dielectric properties of the obtained materials were examined. Dielectric properties were investigated in a wide range of temperatures (T = 20–500 °C) and frequencies (f = 0.1 kHz–1 MHz). The obtained ceramic materials belong to the group of layered perovskites, crystallizing in a tetragonal structure with the space group I4/mmm. Modification of the barium niobate compound with praseodymium ions influenced its dielectric properties and introducing a small concentration of the dopant ion causes a slight increase in the value of electric permittivity and shifts its maximum towards higher temperatures.