  Lead-free Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.10Ti0.90O3 (BCZT) ceramics have demonstrated
excellent dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties in comparison
to lead-based materials. The synthesis of pure and crystalline BCZT nanopowders
at low temperatures of 25, 80 and 160 C was reported previously by using a
sol-gel method followed by a hydrothermal route. In this study, the structural,
dielectric and ferroelectric properties of sintered BCZT ceramics at 1250
{\deg}C for 10h were investigated. XRD measurements revealed the presence of a
single perovskite phase at room temperature with the coexistence of the
orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetries. The increase of grain size and the
ceramic density in BCZT ceramics result in an enhancement of the dielectric and
ferroelectric properties of BCZT ceramics. More interestingly, the synthesis
temperature of BCZT powders with high dielectric and ferroelectric properties
could be decreased to a low temperature of 160 {\deg}C, which is about 1200
{\deg}C lower when compared with solid-state reaction and 840 {\deg}C lower
when compared with sol-gel methods. The BCZT ceramics elaborated at 160 {\deg}C
revealed excellent electrical properties. Hence, the use of low-temperature
hydrothermal processing can be encouraging for the synthesis of lead-free
ceramics with high dielectric and ferroelectric properties.
