Energy storage density and charge–discharge properties of PbHf 1− x Sn x O 3 antiferroelectric ceramics

Dielectric capacitors with high energy density, high power density, fast charging-discharge rate and good thermal stability have potential applications in advanced electronics and electric power systems. In this work, the PbHf 1- x Sn x O 3 (PHS) antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics are prepared via solid-state method. The field-induced AFE to ferroelectric transitions are observed in polarization–electric field ( P-E ) hysteresis loops. The energy storage capacity increases due to the increase of AFE-ferroelectric switching field despite the field-induced ferroelectric polarization decreases. A high recoverable energy storage density of 10.2 ± 0.4 J/cm 3 with high energy efficiency of 78.9% is achieved at 320 kV/cm for x  = 0.075 (PHS-0.075) ceramic, which is superior to other systems reported recently. Furthermore, the sample also exhibits excellent stability against testing temperature and frequency. The pulsed charge–discharge process is measured to elucidate the actual operation performance in the PHS ceramic. The PHS-0.075 ceramic possesses a high current density of 1556 A/cm 2, a giant power density of 233 MW/cm 3 and a fast discharge rate ( t 0.9  < 360 ns). Delightfully, a remarkable discharge energy density of 7.81 J/cm 3 is obtained at 300 kV/cm, which is closer to the actual result for the capacitors operating. This great improvement gives a guideline to further promote the commercialization of AFE materials for energy storage applications.