Enhanced energy storage behaviors in free-standing antiferroelectric Pb(Zr_0.95Ti_0.05)O₃ thin membranes

Free-standing antiferroelectric Pb(Zr_0.95Ti_0.05)O₃ (PZT(95/5)) thin film is fabricated on 200-nm-thick Pt foil by using pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that free-standing PZT(95/5) film possesses an a-axis preferred orientation. The critical electric field for the 300-nm-thick free-standing PZT(95/5) film transiting from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phases is increased to 770 kV/cm, but its saturation polarization remains almost unchanged as compared with that of the substrate-clamped PZT(95/5) film. The energy storage density and energy efficiency of the substrate-clamped PZT(95/5) film are 6.49 J/cm³ and 54.5%, respectively. In contrast, after removing the substrate, the energy storage density and energy efficiency of the free-standing PZT(95/5) film are enhanced up to 17.45 J/cm³ and 67.9%, respectively.