Superior energy storage and discharge performance achieved in PbHfO₃-based antiferroelectric ceramics

Dielectric capacitors prepared by antiferroelectric (AFE) materials have the advantages of large power density and fast discharge ability. It has been a focus on the improvement of the recoverable energy density (W_rec) and discharge energy-density (W_dis) in the AFE ceramics. To address the above issue, optimizing the proportion of components is proposed for enhancing ceramic antiferroelectricity, ultimately improving the breakdown strength (E_b) and W_rec. In this work, an ultrahigh W_rec (14.3 J/cm³) with an excellent energy efficiency (η) of 81.1% is obtained in (Pb_0.96Sr_0.02La_0.02)(Hf_0.9Sn_0.1)O₃ AFE ceramic at electric field of 490 kV/cm, which is the maximum value reported in lead-based AFE ceramics fabricated by the conventional solid-state reaction method so far. The multistage phase transition induced by the electric field is observed in the polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis loops. Furthermore, an outstanding power density (P_D) of 335 MW/cm³ and an excellent W_dis of 8.97 J/cm³ with a rapid discharge speed (102 ns) are obtained at electric field of 390 kV/cm. In addition, (Pb_0.96Sr_0.02La_0.02)(Hf_0.9Sn_0.1)O₃ ceramics also possess an excellent thermal and frequency stability. These exceptional properties indicate that (Pb_0.98−xSr_xLa_0.02)(Hf_0.9Sn_0.1)O₃ ceramics are a potential candidate for pulsed power devices and power electronic devices.