Two K20 microwave dielectric ceramics SrLnAlO4 (Ln = Eu, Gd) with near-zero τf and contrasting Q×f

K20 microwave dielectric ceramics SrLnAlO 4 (Ln = Eu, Gd, and Ho) were prepared at 1440–1520 °C. SrEuAlO 4 and SrGdAlO 4 crystallized into tetragonal K 2 NiF 4 -type structures. While SrHoAlO 4 was a mixture (SrHo 2 Al 2 O 7 , Ho 2 O 3 , and Sr 3 HoAl 2 O 7.5 ) due to the too-small radius of Ho 3+ to bond in [HoO 9 ] dodecahedron . SrEuAlO 4 and SrGdAlO 4 exhibited near-zero τ f values of +1.7 and +4.3 ppm/°C and low ε r (19.37 and 19.14) along with contrasting Q × f values (70,030 and 5560 GHz). Compared with the modified molecular polarizability ( α Corr ) based on the bond valence deviation, the α obs values of SrEuAlO 4 and SrGdAlO 4 are much higher, indicating that their dielectric polarizabilities were underestimated, and this phenomenon was mainly influenced by rattling cations, which also causes their τ f with near-zero values. Due to the magnetic subsystem adversely affecting microwave dielectric losses , the worsened Q × f value of SrGdAlO 4 compared to that of SrEuAlO 4 is due to the high magnetic moment of Gd 3+ (7.94 μ B ).