Enhanced Mechanical and Electromechanical Properties of Compositionally Complex Zirconia Zr_1-x(Gd_1/5Pr_1/5Nd_1/5Sm_1/5Y_1/5)_xO_2−δ Ceramics

Compositionally complex oxides (CCOs) or high-entropy oxides (HEOs) are new multielement oxides with unexplored physical and functional properties. In this work, we report fluorite structure-derived compositionally complex zirconia with composition Zr_1-x(Gd_1/5Pr_1/5Nd_1/5Sm_1/5Y_1/5)_xO_2−δ (x = 0.1 and 0.2) synthesized in solid-state reaction route and sintered via hot pressing at 1350 °C. We explore the evolution of these oxides’ structural, microstructural, mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical properties regarding phase separation and sintering mechanisms. Highly dense ceramics are achieved by bimodal mass diffusion, composing nanometric tetragonal and micrometric cubic grains microstructure. The material exhibits an anomalously large electrostriction response exceeding the M₃₃ value of 10^-17 m²/V² at room temperature and viscoelastic properties of primary creep in nanoindentation measurement under fast loading. These findings are strikingly similar to those reported for doped ceria and bismuth oxide derivates, highlighting the presence of a large concentration of point defects linked to structural distortion and anelastic behavior, which are characteristics of nonclassical ionic electrostrictors.