Delayed phase switching field and improved capacitive energy storage in Ca2+-modified (Pb,La)(Zr,Sn)O3 antiferroelectric ceramics

Antiferroelectric ceramics have captured great attention on capacitive energy storage because of their giant power density and fast discharge speed, which is highly desirable for high- and pulsed-power devices. Nevertheless, the conflict between breakdown electric field and phase switching field of antiferroelectric ceramics blocks to achieve the optimum energy storage capability. In present letter, Ca2+-modified (Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr0.6Sn0.4)O3 ceramics achieved improved breakdown electric field, delayed phase switching field and multiple phase transition under high electric field simultaneously, giving rise to an ultrahigh recoverable energy density of 10.04 J/cm3 and a high energy storage efficiency of 83.95%. Furthermore, the ceramics also displayed excellent thermal reliability as temperature increased to 150 °C, and superior discharge behavior, characterized by Wdis of 5.17 J/cm3 and t0.9 of 5.18 μs. This work not only demonstrates the promising applications of PbZrO3-based antiferroelectric ceramics in energy storage capacitors, but also supplies an effective route to explore high-performance antiferroelectric materials.