Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Fast annealing new strategy achieves wafer-level relaxation antiferroelectric energy storage thin film capacitors.

According to the news from the Institute of Metals Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, dielectric energy storage capacitors, with advantages such as high power density, ultra-fast charging and discharging speed, and long cycle life, are widely used in high-power electronic devices such as pulse lasers and new energy vehicles. However, how to further improve their temperature stability while maintaining high energy storage density and efficiency is still a key challenge. Currently, the mainstream strategy is to introduce nano-domain structures through methods such as multiphase composites, chemical doping, or defect engineering, aiming to induce relaxor ferroelectric or relaxor antiferroelectric properties to optimize energy storage performance. However, these methods are usually complex, which constrains the large-scale preparation of high-performance dielectric energy storage films. In response to the above challenges, the team led by Professor Hu Weijin from the State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Dielectric Materials of the Institute of Metals Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has innovatively proposed a new approach to preparing high-performance relaxor ferroelectric or antiferroelectric thin films by "locking" high-temperature nano-ferroelectric/antiferroelectric domains through ultra-fast crystallization processes. The research team has successfully developed a "flash annealing" process with a temperature rise and fall rate of up to 1000 degrees Celsius per second, and using this process, they were able to crystallize a lead zirconate titanate relaxor antiferroelectric thin film in just 1 second. The related thin-film capacitors exhibited good energy storage performance and excellent thermal stability. This achievement, titled "Constructing wafer-level relaxor antiferroelectric thin films using flash annealing to enhance energy storage performance," was published in the journal "Science Advances" on November 15, 2025.