Electrical properties of Bi4Ti3O12 textured by screen printing

The focus of this work is to explore the electrical properties of bismuth titanate, Bi4Ti3O12, textured through the process of screen printing. Textured BTO samples were produced using the templated grain growth technique and the electrical properties were measured both within and normal to the texture plane. The relative permittivity and polarization were determined as a function of electric field, temperature, and frequency. The electrical properties improved dramatically (Pr = 25 μC/cm², εr(ω) = 1800 at 1 MHz) compared to a randomly oriented sample (Pr = 10 μC/cm², εr(ω) = 850 at 1 MHz) when measured within the texture plane. A corresponding reduction of electrical properties normal to the texture plane was observed (Pr = 2 μC/cm², εr(ω) = 300 at 1 MHz). The electrical properties of bismuth titanate textured by screen printing compare favorably to other texture-inducing techniques such as tape casting and hot forging.