The effect of sintering atmosphere on the properties of SBT ferroelectric ceramics was studied by sol-gel method and interlayer annealing process. It was found that the sintered samples in oxygen atmosphere had more a-axis-oriented grains and more grains which are perpendicular to the plane than those in air atmosphere. The Curie temperature of the samples obtained by sintering in oxygen and air atmosphere is Tc = 273 oC and Tc = 265 oC, and the conductivating energy Ea = 0.94 eV and Ea = 0.66 eV, respectively. The residual polarization intensity of the samples sintered in air atmosphere is 2Pr = 15.3 μC/cm2 , the corresponding coercive field is Ec = 51 kV/cm; the residual polarization intensity of the sample sintered in oxygen atmosphere is 2Pr = 16.6 μC/cm2, and the corresponding coercive field is about Ec = 45 kV/cm. That is because the samples sintered in the oxygen atmosphere has larger lattice distortion, lower oxygen vacancy concentration and larger a-axis oriented grains, which are favorable for the increase of the remnant polarization and reduction of the coercive field.

Keywords: Sintering atmosphere, SBT, Ferroelectric properties, Activation energy.