Reduce the low-frequency dielectric loss of (In0.5Nb0.5)0.05Ti0.95O2 ceramics by constructing insulating ZrO2 phase boundaries

The dielectric-permittivity ( ε′ ) of (In 0.5 Nb 0.5 ) x Ti 1-x O 12 (INTO) ceramics exceeds 10 4  at room temperature, but the large low-frequency dielectric loss ( tanδ ) limits their applications. Origin of the giant ε′ phenomenon in kHz frequency range is still controversial. However, based on the experimental results, an internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) effect seems to be the most plausible mechanism. According to IBLC effect, constructing insulating phase boundaries in INTO ceramics is an effective way to reduce their low-frequency tanδ . Therefore, INTO-based ceramics with ZrO 2 phase boundaries were prepared by solid-state reaction, and their crystalline structures, microstructures, dielectrical properties and complex impedances were analyzed systematically. The results show that the tanδ of our INTO-based ceramics decreased from 0.11 to 0.024 at 1 kHz by ZrO 2 adding and annealing in atmosphere, because of the resistance of ZrO 2 phase boundaries increasing.