Advanced Research of Electroceramics for Energy Conversion, Storage and Devices

Dear Colleagues,

In the present technology-driven century, there is a quest for novel materials with enhanced properties that are tailored for a range of applications. The ability of materials to react to their environment in a useful manner, responding to different external stimuli, facilitates their integration into different devices; this may have a strong technological impact.

Electroceramics are advanced ceramic materials that are employed in a wide variety of electrical, optical and magnetic applications, with their study being a persistent endeavour in the development of functional materials.

In recent decades, the electrification of vehicles, the application of renewable energy sources and the promotion of decarbonization have led to a proliferating demand for energy conversion and storage devices. In addition, due to the rapid growth of wireless communication systems and microwave products in the electronic market, small, lightweight and multifunctional components are required.

Since the close relationship between structure, morphology and physical properties is well established, understanding the formation mechanisms from both theoretical and experimental perspectives is essential in order to improve the synthesis processes of enhanced functional materials. Therefore, the design, fabrication and characterization of electroceramic components are multidisciplinary in nature.

This Special Issue aims to address all the relevant aspects of advanced electroceramics for energy conversion, storage and devices, attending also to the different processing and characterization techniques.

Dr. Susana Devesa
Dr. Luís Cadillon Costa
Dr. Manuel Pedro Fernandes Graça
Dr. Sílvia Soreto Teixeira
Guest Editors

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• electroceramics
• synthesis processes
• structural characterization
• morphological characterization
• dielectric properties
• magnetic properties
• piezoelectric properties
• energy conversion
• energy storage

Title: Enhanced dielectric properties of Rare Earth-doped Bismuth Ferrite synthesised via Laser Floating Zone technique
Authors: Susana Devesa; Sílvia Soreto Teixeira; Manuel Graça,; Marina Vieira,; Nuno Ferreira; Florinda Costa
Affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-516 Coimbra, Portugal
Abstract: Bismuth ferrite, BiFeO3, is recognized as a promising material for several applications, however, despite its potential, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. Ongoing efforts are being documented to improve its ferroelectric properties, namely through the Bi-site substitution by selected trivalent rare-earth. In this work, the enhancement of dielectric properties as a result of rare-earth substitution on the Bi-site of BiFeO3 is presented. Bi0.9RE0.1FeO3 (RE = La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Er) fibres were grown by the Laser Floating Zone technique, with a growth rate of 10 mm/h. The structural characterization revealed the polyphasic character of the samples, showing that the substitution of Bi3+ by the RE3+ ion occurred only in the case of Europium doping, with the formation of Eu0.2FeBi0.8O3, with an estimated crystallite size of 53.7 nm. The morphological analysis confirmed the polyphasic nature of the fibres grown and, the elemental quantification measurements made by EDS, are consistent with the formation of Eu0.2FeBi0.8O3. The dielectric characterization, performed by Impedance Spectroscopy, showed that the integration of rare-earth ions, even when the substitution on Bi-sites does not occur, can significantly improve the dielectric performance of the BiFeO3 fibres.