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This paper discusses effects of different dopants, sintering technique and parameters on microstructure and properties of pure and Yb, Er-doped Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT). All stoichiometric compositions follow the abnormal grain growth mechanism (AGG) and exhibit a bimodal grain size distribution. Bi over-stoichiometry, two step sintering and hot pressing are effective inhibitors of AGG. Microstructure of sintered NBT greatly influences such properties as dielectric permittivity and depolarization temperature. ; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

This work has been supported by the National Research Program in the framework of the project "Multifunctional Materials and composites, photonics and nanotechnology (IMIS2)." ; Direct and indirect studies of the electrocaloric effect were carried out in poled and depoled Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3. For this purpose, polarization and electrocaloric effect temperature change measurements were made at different electric field pulses as a function of temperature. The applicability of the widely used indirect electrocaloric effect determination method, using the Maxwell relation, was critically analyzed with respect to the reliable direct measurements. Quantitative differences were observed between the results obtained by both approaches in the case of the poled Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 sample. These differences can be explained by the temperature-dependent concentration of domains oriented in the direction of the applied electric field. Whereas in depoled Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3, which is characterized by the electric field dependence of polar nanoregions embedded in a nonpolar matrix, the Maxwell relation is not applicable at all, as it is indicated by the obtained results. Possible mechanisms which could be responsible for the electrocaloric effect in the relaxor state were considered. The results of this study are used to evaluate the numerous results obtained and published by other authors, using the Maxwell relation to indirectly determine the electrocaloric effect. The reason for the negative values of the electrocaloric effect, obtained in such a way and widely discussed in the literature in the case of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3, has been explained in this study. ; National Research Program (IMIS2); Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

This research was funded by the European Regional Development Fund, grant number 1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/558. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, grant number 739508. ; Thermal etching is a widely accepted surface treatment method for studying microstructure in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-based compositions. Surprisingly, besides the flat pattern of grains (suitable for evaluating ceramics' microstructure), images illustrating well-expressed relief and even microstructure consisting of partly bonded cubic-shaped grains are also found among the micrographs presented in various publications. The present paper shows that this different surface character in Eu-modified Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 can be obtained through thermal treatment across a wide range of temperatures. At higher temperatures, remarkable growth of cubic-shaped grains on the surface is observed. This growth affects the grain size distribution on the surface more than it does within the bulk of a sample. Such micrographs cannot be used to characterise the microstructure of dense ceramics. Intensive growth of TiO2 inclusions at high thermal treatment temperatures is also observed, revealing substantial evaporation of Bi and Na from the surface of a ceramic sample, but not from its core part. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). ; European Regional Development Fund 1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/558; The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, grant number 739508.