Preparation and Characterization of PbTi03 Ceramics Modified by a Natural Mixture of Rare Earth Oxides of Xenotime

Lead titanate ceramics modified by xenotime (Xm) with nominal composition (Pb, Xm)TiO3, Xm 10 or 15 mol %, were prepared by the conventional oxide mixture technique. Xenotime is a natural mineral consisting of a mixture of rare earth oxides. Thermal, structural and electric properties were investigated through differential and gravimetric thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction and dielectric measurements as a function of temperature. The results of both compositions revealed a higher density and free of cracks ceramic body, compared to pure PbTiO3 prepared by the same procedure. On the other hand, the structural characteristics and Curie temperature are nearly the same as those of pure PbTiO3. The hysteresis loop measured at room temperature revealed a hard ferroelectric material with coercive field of 10.7 kV/cm and a remanent polarization of 0.2 µC/cm2. These finding reveal a material with properties that highlight potential to be used as electronic devices that operate at high temperature and high frequencies