Optical and dielectric properties of PbZrO₃ thin films prepared by a sol–gel process for energy-storage application

Highlights: • PbZrO₃ thin films were prepared by a simple sol–gel method. • Post-annealing temperature played an impact on the orientation of PbZrO₃ films. • Energy-storage density achieved from hysteresis loops achieved about 25.25 J/cm³. • (111)-orientated PbZrO₃ films exhibited higher refractive index. PbZrO₃ thin films with (100) and (111) orientation were prepared by a simple sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction results revealed that post-annealing temperatures played an important role on the orientation of PbZrO₃ films. The frequency dependence of dielectric properties and the ferroelectric characteristics were measured. Giant energy-storage density and energy-storage efficiency calculated from hysteresis loops achieved about 25.25 J/cm³ and 62% for PbZrO₃ film with thickness of 292 nm, respectively, results indicated that PbZrO₃ thin films had a potential application in energy-storage device. Optical properties of PbZrO₃ thin films were analyzed by a spectroscopic ellipsometer, results revealed that (111)-orientated PbZrO₃ thin films exhibited higher refractive index than that of the (100)-orientated PbZrO₃ thin films.