Ba(ZrxTi1-x)O-3 nanopowders and ceramics with different Zr/Ti ratios of 1:9; 2:8; 2.5:7.5; 3.5:6.5 and 4:6 (x=0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.35, 0.4) have been prepared by sol-gel technology using inorganic zirconium as raw materials, and Zr/Ti ratio of 2:8 is determined as the best one according to the measurements of dielectric properties. So the modified Ba(Zr-0.2,Ti-0.8)O-3 ceramics doped by Dy and Er (the additive content is 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.30% and 0.50% molar ratio, respectively) have been prepared, and the effects of rare earth on the microstructure and dielectric properties of Ba(Zr-0.2,Ti-0.8)O-3 ceramics have been studied. The experimental results show that the effect of Er is better than that of Dy in improving the dielectric properties of Ba(Zr-0.2,Ti-0.8)O-3 ceramics. When the content of Er is 0.15 mol%, the dielectric constant is the highest of 12767, while the dielectric loss is lowered to 0.011; the frequency stabilities and the temperature dependence are also better, which is suitable for application in condenser field. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.