Phase equilibria and dielectric behavior in the CaO : Al2O3 : Nb2O5 system

Subsolidus phase equilibria in the CaO:Al2O,:Nb2O5 system at 1325 degreesC in air have been determined. One ternary phase forms, Ca2AlNbO6, which exhi bits a perovskite-related structure with 1:1 or NaCl-type ordering of Al3and Nb5+ on the B sites. Indexed X-ray powder diffraction data for this mon oclinic compound are given (P2(1)/n (No. 11); a = 5.3780(1), b = 5.4154(1), c = 7.6248(2) Angstrom, beta = 89.968(2)degrees). The subsystem CaO-Nb2O5 was reexamined at CaO contents above 70 mol% to clarify inconsistencies in the literature. Two phases were confirmed to form in this region: the polym orphic-ordered perovskite Ca4Nb2O9, with solid solution ranging from approx imately 17 to 20.5 mol% Nb2O5, and the compound referred to as Ca3Nb2O8, wh ich was shown here to occur as essentially a point compound at the composit ion 75.25:24.75 CaO:Nb2O5. The perovskite-related structure of the Ca3Nb2O8 -type phase was shown to be noncubic, and further studies are in progress. Capacitance methods at 1 MHz were used to determine the dielectric constant s and associated temperature coefficients for eleven compounds in the CaO:A l2O3:Nb2O5 system. Ca2AlNbO6 and Ca3Nb2O8 coexist in equilibria and were fo und to exhibit temperature coefficients of permittivity with opposite signs . Five compositions in the xCa(2)AlNbO(6):(1 -x)Ca3Nb2O8 system mere prepar ed and their dielectric properties measured by dielectric resonator methods at 5-7 GHz. The relative permittivities and temperature coefficients of re sonant frequency obtained for the endmembers Ca2AlNbO6 and Ca3Nb2O8 were 30 , -88ppm/degreesC, and 45, +113 ppm/degreesC, respectively. Temperature com pensation of the resonant frequency was obtained near x = 0.67 with a permi ttivity of 32; no solid solution was detected by X-ray powder diffraction. (C) 2000 Academic Press.