Effect of Ordering on the Microwave Dielectric Properties of Spinel-Structured (Zn1−x(Li2/3Ti1/3)x)2TiO4 Ceramics

• Published in: Journal of the American Ceramic Society 2016-10, Vol.99 (10), p.3343-3349
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jian, Zuo, Ruzhong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ceramics; dielectric materials/properties; Dielectric properties; Microwaves; Raman spectra; Raman spectroscopy; Spinel; X-ray diffraction; X-ray methods
• ISSN: 0002-7820; 1551-2916
• DOI: 10.1111/jace.14356

Spinel‐structured (Zn1−x(Li2/3Ti1/3)x)2TiO4 (x = 0–1) microwave dielectric ceramics were manufactured via a conventional mixed‐oxide method. The X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectra revealed that a disordered face‐centered cubic phase was found in the composition range of x < 0.5, and an ordered primitive cubic spinel solid solution was achieved as x was beyond 0.5. Such a disorder–order transition near x = 0.5 was accompanied by the variation of composition‐induced cation occupancy. The Q × f value first kept increasing up to ~160 000 (GHz) in disordered ceramics, and then sharply decreased as an ordered structure appeared at x ≥ 0.5. An obvious decrease in τf value was also accompanied by the appearance of an ordered structure. The minimum τf value (~ −20 ppm/°C) was obtained in the x = 0.75 sample with the highest structural order degree. These results demonstrated that microwave dielectric properties of current spinel ceramics could be successfully modified by adjusting their structural order degree, which could be appropriately adopted for the design of spinel‐structured materials with favorable properties.