Tuning the structural, optical, and dielectric properties of europium-doped barium titanate ceramics

This study explores the optical and dielectric properties of pure and europium-doped barium titanate ceramics with formula Ba_1−3x/2Eu_xTiO₃ ( $$x=0,0.005, 0.015\text{ and }0.025$$x = 0 , 0.005 , 0.015 and 0.025 ). The materials were synthesized using the solid-state reaction method. The influence of Eu + 3 ion incorporation on the crystal structure was examined using XRD, which indicated the formation of a cubic phase. Lattice parameter measurements showed excellent agreement with various theoretical models for predicting the lattice constant, with an average error of only 0.20%. UV–visible spectroscopy analysis is utilized to investigate optical characteristics, revealing a decrease in the optical band gap from 2.65 to 2.77 eV post-Eu doping, which is notably lower than the bulk barium titanate value of 3.2 eV. Materials with smaller band gaps are more suited for optoelectronic applications like photodetectors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The dielectric response of europium-doped barium titanate was studied across a frequency range of 1 kHz to 2 MHz and a temperature range of 77 to 300 K, showing remarkable stability. The frequency-dependent dielectric analysis revealed that the dielectric constant initially increased with increasing doping concentration, but decreased at higher concentrations. These results suggest that europium-doped barium titanate holds significant promise for future electronic device applications due to its enhanced optical and dielectric properties.