Materials exhibiting high energy/power density are currently needed to meet the growing demand of portable electronics, electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage devices. The highest energy densities are achieved for fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors, but conventional dielectric capacitors are receiving increased attention for pulsed power applications due to their high power density and their fast charge-discharge speed. The key to high energy density in dielectric capacitors is a large maximum but small remanent (zero in the case of linear dielectrics) polarization and a high electric breakdown strength. Polymer dielectric capacitors offer high power/energy density for applications at room temperature, but above 100 °C they are unreliable and suffer from dielectric breakdown. For high-temperature applications, therefore, dielectric ceramics are the only feasible alternative. Lead-based ceramics such as La-doped lead zirconate titanate exhibit good energy storage properties, but their toxicity raises concern over their use in consumer applications, where capacitors are exclusively lead free. Lead-free compositions with superior power density are thus required. In this paper, we introduce the fundamental principles of energy storage in dielectrics. We discuss key factors to improve energy storage properties such as the control of local structure, phase assemblage, dielectric layer thickness, microstructure, conductivity, and electrical homogeneity through the choice of base systems, dopants, and alloying additions, followed by a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art. Finally, we comment on the future requirements for new materials in high power/energy density capacitor applications.

Electroceramics for High-Energy Density Capacitors: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Compared with fuel cells and electrochemical capacitors, dielectric capacitors are regarded as promising devices to store electrical energy for pulsed power systems due to their fast charge/discharge rates and ultrahigh power density. Dielectric materials are core components of dielectric capacitors and directly determine their performance. Over the past decade, extensive efforts have been devoted to develop high-performance dielectric materials for electrical energy storage applications and great progress has been achieved. Here, we present an overview on the current state-of-the-art lead-free bulk ceramics for electrical energy storage applications, including SrTiO3, CaTiO3, BaTiO3, (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3, (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3, BiFeO3, AgNbO3 and NaNbO3-based ceramics. This review starts with a brief introduction of the research background, the development history and the basic fundamentals of dielectric materials for energy storage applications as well as the universal strategies to optimize their energy storage performance. Emphases are placed on the design strategies for each type of dielectric ceramic based on their special physical properties with a summary of their respective advantages and disadvantages. Challenges along with future prospects are presented at the end of this review. This review will not only accelerate the exploration of higher performance lead-free dielectric materials, but also provides a deeper understanding of the relationship among chemical composition, physical properties and energy storage performance.

High-performance lead-free bulk ceramics for electrical energy storage applications: design strategies and challenges

Electrostatic energy storage technology based on dielectrics is fundamental to advanced electronics and high-power electrical systems. Recently, relaxor ferroelectrics characterized by nanodomains ...

Ultrahigh energy storage in superparaelectric relaxor ferroelectrics

The Gerson–Marshall (1959) relationship predicts an increase in dielectric breakdown strength (BDS) and therefore, recoverable energy density (Wrec) with decreasing dielectric layer thickness. This relationship only operates however, if the total resistivity of the dielectric is sufficiently high and the electrical microstructure is homogeneous (no short circuit diffusion paths). BiFeO3–SrTiO3 (BF–ST) is a promising base for developing high energy density capacitors but Bi-rich compositions which have the highest polarisability per unit volume are ferroelectric rather than relaxor and are electrically too conductive. Here, we present a systematic strategy to optimise BDS and maximum polarisation via: (i) Nb-doping to increase resistivity by eliminating hole conduction and promoting electrical homogeneity and (ii) alloying with a third perovskite end-member, BiMg2/3Nb1/3O3 (BMN), to reduce long range polar coupling without decreasing the average ionic polarisability. These strategies result in an increase in BDS to give Wrec = 8.2 J cm−3 at 460 kV cm−1 for BF–ST–0.03Nb–0.1BMN ceramics, which when incorporated in a multilayer capacitor with dielectric layers of 8 μm thickness gives BDS > 1000 kV cm−1 and Wrec = 15.8 J cm−3.

/pdf/superior-energy-density-through-tailored-dopant-strategies-5dykd8i9us.pdf

Superior energy density through tailored dopant strategies in multilayer ceramic capacitors

Asymmetric Trilayer All-Polymer Dielectric Composites with Simultaneous High Efficiency and High Energy Density: A Novel Design Targeting Advanced Energy Storage Capacitors

Dielectric ceramics are highly desired for electronic systems owing to their fast discharge speed and excellent fatigue resistance. However, the low energy density resulting from the low breakdown electric field leads to inferior volumetric efficiency, which is the main challenge for practical applications of dielectric ceramics. Here, we propose a strategy to increase the breakdown electric field and thus enhance the energy storage density of polycrystalline ceramics by controlling grain orientation. We fabricated high-quality -textured Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3–Sr0.7Bi0.2TiO3 (NBT-SBT) ceramics, in which the strain induced by the electric field is substantially lowered, leading to a reduced failure probability and improved Weibull breakdown strength, on the order of 103 MV m−1, an ~65% enhancement compared to their randomly oriented counterparts. The recoverable energy density of -textured NBT-SBT multilayer ceramics is up to 21.5 J cm−3, outperforming state-of-the-art dielectric ceramics. The present research offers a route for designing dielectric ceramics with enhanced breakdown strength, which is expected to benefit a wide range of applications of dielectric ceramics for which high breakdown strength is required, such as high-voltage capacitors and electrocaloric solid-state cooling devices. The energy density of dielectric ceramic capacitors is limited by low breakdown fields. Here, by considering the anisotropy of electrostriction in perovskites, it is shown that -textured Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3–Sr0.7Bi0.2TiO3 ceramics can sustain higher electrical fields and achieve an energy density of 21.5 J cm−3.

Grain-orientation-engineered multilayer ceramic capacitors for energy storage applications.

FEM implementation of the nonlinear damage evolution model for piezoelectric material under bipolar electrical fatigue load

Abstract The service life of piezoelectric devices is significantly affected by the electric fatigue load. The randomness of loads and nonuniformity of material properties caused by random distribution of internal defects in piezoelectric body will lead to the dispersion of the failure life of piezoelectric devices. Predicting failure probability of piezoelectric materials under electric fatigue load is essential for the reliability and life prediction of piezoelectric structures and devices. In this paper, the initial damage of piezoelectric materials is modeled as a random variable. Based on the methods of probability theory and statistics, the failure probability assessment model of piezoelectric materials under electric fatigue load is proposed. The probability density function of initial damage is obtained by observation and statistics of initial defect area. The failure probability assessment model of piezoelectric materials under electric fatigue load can be obtained by probability theory and integral method. Meanwhile, the failure probability evolution of piezoelectric materials under various electric fatigue loads is considered. The results show that the failure life and dispersion of piezoelectric materials is significantly affected by electric fatigue load, and the variation of failure probability under various electric loads is similar. Based on the proposed failure probability assessment models, the randomness of the electric load and randomly distributed initial defects of materials are considered in the damage evolution and performance prediction of piezoelectric structures, which is an important supplement to the reliability prediction and application of piezoelectric devices.

Xianghua Chen

Papers

Grain-orientation-engineered multilayer ceramic capacitors for energy storage applications.

FEM implementation of the nonlinear damage evolution model for piezoelectric material under bipolar electrical fatigue load

The failure probability assessment model of piezoelectric materials under electric fatigue load