Soukaina Merselmiz, Ivana Goričan, Tadej Rojac, V. Bobnar, Victor Regis, Matej Šadl, Val Fišinger, Nejc Suban, Brigita Kmet, Andreja Benčan, Andraž Bradeško, Andrej Debevec, Barbara Malič, Hana Uršič
Integrating functional ceramic thick films onto metal substrates for advanced electronic applications is challenging due to the high sintering temperatures. To address this issue, low-temperature processing methods such as aerosol deposition (AD) offer an effective solution. In this study, lead-free 0.5Ba(Zr 0.2 Ti 0.8 )O 3 –0.5(Ba 0.7 Ca 0.3 )TiO 3 (BZT–BCT) thick films were prepared on low-cost stainless-steel substrates using the AD method. The as-deposited films exhibited a dense microstructure and excellent adhesion to the substrate. After deposition, the films were annealed at 500°C and 800°C. The films annealed at 800°C demonstrated enhanced ferroelectric behavior compared to both the as-deposited films and those annealed at 500°C. These films also exhibit a high dielectric breakdown strength exceeding 1400 kV·cm −1 , making them promising for energy storage applications. The recovered energy density and energy efficiency reach 9.5 J·cm −3 and 84%, respectively, at 1500 kV·cm −1 . Moreover, the recovered energy density demonstrated excellent electric-field cycling stability up to 100 million cycles, as well as thermal stability from −50°C to 200°C at 400 kV·cm −1 . The field-induced strain response of the films annealed at 800°C demonstrated an electromechanical performance with a maximum strain of 0.05% at 350 kV·cm −1 , corresponding to a converse effective piezoelectric coefficient of 15.5 pm·V −1 . The dominating factor for such a relatively low value is most likely the fine microstructure. Overall, the results highlight the potential of integrating lead-free ceramic films onto low-cost stainless-steel substrates to form functional structures, especially for energy storage applications, where good thermal and electrical cycling stability is essential.