Achieving excellent energy storage performance with thermal stability in lead-free AgNbO 3 ceramics.

Large hysteresis and low energy density of pure AgNbO 3 ceramics limit their further application in pulsed power techniques. Here, less-harmful Sm 2 O 3 -modified AgNbO 3 antiferroelectric ceramics were synthesized by a rolling process, in order to improve the energy storage performance. All the Sm 2 O 3 -doped samples display reduced hysteresis due to disrupted long-range order, as certified by Raman spectra. As expected, due to the large dielectric breakdown strength and reduced hysteresis, an improved energy storage density, W rec , of 5.85 J cm -3 and satisfactory energy efficiency, η , of 77% can be simultaneously achieved in the studied antiferroelectric ceramics, showing great superiority over other bulk electronic ceramics. Along with excellent temperature stability within the range of 20-150 °C at 320 kV cm -1 ( W rec > 4.3 J cm -3 , with minimal variation of ≤4%) in the studied samples, this shows that AgNbO 3 -based environmentally friendly ceramics are promising materials for pulsed power techniques.