Stability of discharge performance of large-size antiferroelectric multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) and its correlation with phase transition under the joint influence of temperature-electric field

Antiferroelectric (AFE) materials have excellent application prospects in pulse power. In this study, large-size AFE MLCCs were manufactured. Due to their phase transition characteristics and dielectric nonlinearity, the peak discharge current of these capacitors nonlinearly increases with voltage. Consequently, at a voltage of 1500 V and dimensions of 11.4 mm× 10.6 mm× 5.7 mm, a discharge current as high as 4440 A was achieved, with a current density of 6434.8 A/cm³ and discharge time in the microsecond range, demonstrating an exceptional capability for strong pulse discharge. However, the phase transition and dielectric nonlinearity of AFE are significantly influenced by temperature, resulting in substantial variations in the discharge current of AFE MLCCs within the temperature range of −50–100℃. This work demonstrates that AFE MLCCs possess high discharge currents, but improvements in temperature stability and discharge life are still needed.