scholarly journals Influence of Fine Crystal Percentage on the Electrical Properties of ZnO Ceramic-Based Varistors

Crystals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Aljaafari ◽  
Ahmed Sedky

Herein, the effect of nanocrystal percentage in bulk-ZnO varistors was studied. The structure of ZnO nanocrystals was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The XRD studies showed that the nanocrystals were indexed with the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO nanostructures. The average crystallite size deduced from XRD analysis ranged between 135 and 273 nm, eight-fold lower than that of the nanoparticles observed in FE-SEM micrographs (1151–2214 nm). The percentage of nanocrystals added into the ZnO varistor was increased from 0 to 100%. Electrical measurements (I–V profiles) showed that the non-linear region, breakdown field, and activation energy were found to decrease with the addition of ZnO fine crystals up to 10% and then increased upon a further increase in fine crystals. However, the electrical conductivity measured at room temperature was improved, and the highest value of 2.11 × 10−5 was observed for 10% fine crystals and then decreased upon a further increase in the fine crystal concentration in bulk ZnO. The breakdown field decreased with the increase in the percentage of ZnO nanostructures in the varistor up to 10% and then increased upon the further addition of ZnO nanostructures. The nonlinear coefficient (α) was decreased from 18.6 for bulk ZnO and remained close to unity for the samples that contained fine crystals. The electrical conductivity was generally improved with the increase in the concentration of the ZnO fine crystals. The activation energy was found to be 128, 374, and 815 meV for the bulk samples and 164, 369, and 811 meV for the samples that contained 100% fine crystals for the three temperature regions of 300–420, 420–580, and 580–620 K, respectively. These results will provide a pathway toward the determination of a correlation between the electrical and microstructural properties of ZnO-based varistors for future device applications.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan A Amin

We report here structural, electrical and dielectric properties of ZnO varistors prepared with two different particle sizes for initial starting oxides materials (5 µm and 200 nm). It is found that the particle size of ZnO does not influence the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO, while the lattice parameters, crystalline diameter, grain size and Zn-O bond length are affected. The nonlinear coefficient, breakdown field and barrier height are decreased from 18.6, 1580 V/cm and 1.153 eV for ZnO micro to 410 V/cm, 7.26 and 0.692 eV for ZnO nano.  While, residual voltage and electrical conductivity of upturn region are increased from 2.08 and 2.38x10-5 (Ω.cm)-1 to 4.55 and 3.03x10-5 (Ω.cm)-1. The electrical conductivity increases by increasing temperature for both varistors, and it is higher for ZnO nano than that of ZnO micro.  The character of electrical conductivity against temperature is divided into three different regions over the temperature intervals as follows; (300 K ≤ T ≤ 420 K), (420 K ≤ T ≤ 580 K) and (580 K ≤ T ≤ 620 K), respectively. The activation energy is increased in the first region from 0.141 eV for ZnO micro to 0.183 eV for ZnO nano and it is kept nearly constant in the other two regions. On the other hand, the average conductivity deduced through dielectric measurements is increased from 2.54x10-7 (Ω.cm)-1 for ZnO micro to 49x10-7 (Ω.cm)-1. Similar behavior is obtained for the conductivities of grains and grain boundaries. The dielectric constant decreases as the frequency increases for both varistors, and it is higher for ZnO nano than that of ZnO micro. These results are discussed in terms of free excited energy and strength of link between grains of these varistors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  

We report here structural and electrical properties of Zn0.95 M0.05O ceramic, M = Zn, Co and Mn. It is found that addition of magnetic doping did not influence the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. Furthermore, the lattice parameters ratio c/a for hexagonal distortion and the length of the bond parallel u to the c axis were nearly unaffected. The average crystalline diameters, deduced from XRD analysis are 83.75, 72.86 and 70.97 nm for Zn, Mn and Co, which are 15 times lower than those obtained from FESEM micrographs (1570, 1380 and 1150 nm). The breakdown field EB was decreased as the temperature increased, in the following order: Mn> Zn > Co. The nonlinear region was observed for all samples as the temperature increased up to 400 K and completely disappeared with further increase of temperature up to 500 K. The values of nonlinear coefficient, α were between 1.65 and 56 for all samples, in the following order: Mn> Zn > Co. Moreover, the electrical conductivity σ was gradually increased as the temperature increased up to 500 K, in the following order: Co > Zn > Mn. On the other hand, the activation energies were 0.194, 0.155 eV and 0.231 eV for all samples, in the following order Mn, Zn and Co. These results have been discussed in terms of valence states, magnetic moment and thermo-ionic emission which were produced by the doping, and controlling the potential barrier of ZnO.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sedky ◽  
E. El-Suheel

A comparative study between effects of Mn and Al on the properties of ZnO varistor sintered at 1200 is investigated by XRD, SEM hardness, and I-V measurements. Although both Mn and Al do not influence the well-known peaks related to wurtzite structure of ZnO ceramics, some other unknown peaks could be formed at higher doping content (). Also, the shape and size of grains are clearly different for both dopants. Average crystalline diameters, deduced from XRD analysis, are between 42 nm and 62 nm, which are 50 times lower than those obtained from SEM micrographs, while the oxygen vacancies deduced from EDAX analysis, are gradually decreased by doping content for both dopants. Interestingly, the values of breakdown field, nonlinear coefficient and barrier height are found to be higher in Mn samples as compared to Al samples, while the opposite is reported for leakage currents, hardness, and electrical conductivities. The values of are changed from 2.67 V/cm to 41.67 V/cm for Al, and from 1928 V/cm to 6571 V/cm for Mn. The conductivity of Al samples is higher than that of ZnO, and it is nearly (103–105) times the conductivity of Mn samples. These results are discussed in terms of the difference of magnetic moment and valence state between these two additives.


Author(s):  
FRANCIS P. XAVIER ◽  
ANTO REGIS INIGO ◽  
GEORGE J. GOLDSMITH

Polyaniline (PA) and aniline black (AB) were prepared in powder form by the chemical method of oxidative polymerization, from which free-standing thin films were obtained by solvent evaporation using N-methyl pyrrolidinone ( NMP ). The thin films contained 2, 4, 6 or 8 wt% AB. Electrical measurements showed that the samples containing 4% AB exhibited the highest photoconductivity of the four concentrations. Thus there appears to be a critical ratio of PA to AB for maximum photoconductivity. Annealing up to 570 K has little effect on the conductivity. Upon adding a small quantity of copper phthalocyanine ( CuPc ) to the PA + AB, the electrical conductivity increased considerably and the optical absorption was extended from the UV to the near IR. The electrical conductivity mechanism is a consequence of a redox process, since AB is the oxidized state of PA and, upon illumination, there is an exchange of charge carriers. The extension of the range of optical absorption upon addition of CuPc is interpreted to suggest that CuPc photosensitizes the material and enhances the carrier transport process in the redox couple. The activation energy from the temperature-dependent conductivity and the band gap from the electrolyte electroreflectance method were determined. The activation energy for 0.4% CuPc is lowest (0.52 eV) and the corresponding band gap is determined to be 3.0 eV. This organic compound could be a good candidate for inexpensive, reliable and efficient solar energy-converting devices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Nabil ◽  
I. V. Perez-Quintana ◽  
M. Acosta ◽  
J. A. Mendez-Gamboa ◽  
R. Castro-Rodriguez

ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were extracted from a commercial paste in both colloidal and precipitate forms. The Zetasizer analysis performed on the colloid showed ZnO NPs ranging from ∼30 nm to ∼100 nm. Thin films of ZnO were deposited on glass substrates by spin-coating technique from a mixture of the extracted colloid and precipitate. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed uniformly arranged, mesoporous, and nanostructured ZnO particles of different shapes, with an estimated film thickness of 0.67 μm. Analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) confirmed the presence of ZnO in the films, with no impurities or remnants of other materials. The XRD analysis showed a polycrystalline nature of the films and identified a pure phase formation of the hexagonal wurtzite structure. The average crystallite size calculated from the diffraction peaks is ∼43.25 nm. The calculated crystal tensile strain is 1.954 × 10−3, which increases the crystal volume by 0.728% compared with the crystal volume of standard ZnO. The calculated crystal parameters are a = b = 3.258 Å and c = 5.217 Å. The calculated dislocation density (d) and bond length Zn–O (L) are 5.35 × 10−4 nm−2 and 2.695 Å, respectively. Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra showed an optical band gap of ∼3.80 eV.


2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 733-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
ABDUL NAYEEM ◽  
G. VAJRALINGAM ◽  
K. YADAIAH ◽  
M. NAGABHOOSHANAM

Thin films of C d 1-x Zn xS solid solutions are grown by the chemical bath deposition method with 0≤x<1. The films are characterized by X-ray, optical and electrical measurements. X-ray studies have indicated that the films have polycrystalline nature. Optical studies have also shown that the films possess polycrystalline nature with tiny crystallites in the form of platelets. Electrical conductivity studies have revealed two activation energies in solid solutions for x≤0.2 and one activation energy value for x>0.2. The results are explained in terms of mixed hexagonal and cubic crystalline structures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 10901
Author(s):  
Saloua El Asri ◽  
Hamid Ahamdane ◽  
Lahoucine Hajji ◽  
Mohamed El Hadri ◽  
Moulay Ahmed El Idrissi Raghni ◽  
...  

Forsterite single phase powder Mg2SiO4 was synthesized by sol–gel method alongside with heat treatment, using two different cation alkaline salts MCl as mineralizers (M = Na, K) with various mass percentages (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt.%). In this work, we report on the effect of the cation type and the added amount of used mineralizer on microstructure and electrical conductivity of Mg2SiO4. The formation of forsterite started at 680–740  °C and at 630–700  °C with KCl and NaCl respectively, as shown by TG-DTA and confirmed by XRD. Furthermore, the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) transmission spectra indicated bands corresponding to vibrations of forsterite structure. The morphology and elemental composition of sintered ceramics were examined by SEM-EDX analyses, while their densities, which were measured by Archimedes method, increased with addition of both alkaline salts. The electrical measurements were performed by Complex Impedance Spectroscopy. The results showed that electrical conductivity increased with the addition of both mineralizers, which was higher for samples prepared with NaCl than those prepared with KCl.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Sarmad M. M. Ali ◽  
Alia A.A. Shehab ◽  
Samir A. Maki

In this study, the ZnTe thin films were deposited on a glass substrate at a thickness of 400nm using vacuum evaporation technique (2×10-5mbar) at RT. Electrical conductivity and Hall effect measurements have been investigated as a function of variation of the doping ratios (3,5,7%) of the Cu element on the thin ZnTe films. The temperature range of (25-200°C) is to record the electrical conductivity values. The results of the films have two types of transport mechanisms of free carriers with two values of activation energy (Ea1, Ea2), expect 3% Cu. The activation energy (Ea1) increased from 29meV to 157meV before and after doping (Cu at 5%) respectively. The results of Hall effect measurements of ZnTe , ZnTe:Cu films show that all films were (p-type), the carrier concentration (1.1×1020 m-3) , Hall mobility (0.464m2/V.s) for pure ZnTe film, increases the carrier concentration (6.3×1021m-3) Hall mobility (2m2/V.s) for doping (Cu at 3%) film, but  decreases by increasing Cu concentration.


1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (114) ◽  
pp. 239-242
Author(s):  
M. E. R. Walford

AbstractWe discuss the suggestion that small underwater transmitters might be used to illuminate the interior of major englacial water channels with radio waves. Once launched, the radio waves would naturally tend to be guided along the channels until attenuated by absorption and by radiative loss. Receivers placed within the channels or at the glacier surface could be used to detect the signals. They would provide valuable information about the connectivity of the water system. The electrical conductivity of the water is of crucial importance. A surface stream on Storglaciären, in Sweden, was found, using a low-frequency technique, to have a conductivity of approximately 4 × 10−4 S m−1. Although this is several hundred times higher than the conductivity of the surrounding glacier ice, the contrast is not sufficient to permit us simply to use electrical conductivity measurements to establish the connectivity of englacial water channels. However, the water conductivity is sufficiently small that, under favourable circumstances, radio signals should be detectable after travelling as much as a few hundred metres along an englacial water channel. In a preliminary field experiment, we demonstrated semi quantitatively that radio waves do indeed propagate as expected, at least in surface streams. We conclude that under-water radio transmitters could be of real practical value in the study of the englacial water system, provided that sufficiently robust devices can be constructed. In a subglacial channel, however, we expect the radio range would be much smaller, the environment much harsher, and the technique of less practical value.


1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Arsenault ◽  
D. E. Brodie

Zn-rich and P-rich amorphous Zn3P2 thin films were prepared by co-evaporation of the excess element during the normal Zn3P2 deposition. X-ray diffraction techniques were used to investigate the structural properties and the crystallization process. Agglomeration of the excess element within the as-made amorphous Zn3P2 thin film accounted for the structural properties observed after annealing the sample. Electrical measurements showed that excess Zn reduces the conductivity activation energy and increases the conductivity, while excess P up to 15 at.% does not alter the electrical properties significantly.


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