Abstract:The effect of changes in sintering temperature on electrical properties and microstructure of ZnO-polyaniline- polyethylene composite ceramics, prepared in disk form at the pressure of 60 MPa and at five different temperatures, has been investigated. Increasing sintering temperature from 30 to 120 °C noticeably reduces breakdown voltage from 830 to 610 V. Further increase in sintering temperature causes breakdown voltage to increase. Interface voltage barrier height behaves differently when sintering temperature increases, which is in contrast to breakdown voltage behavior. These samples have a very low leakage current, a factor which indicates low degradation. Then again, the higher the sintering temperature gets, the less the nonlinear coefficient becomes. In addition, each sample has hysteresis which decreases through increase of sintering temperature up to 120 °C. Further increase in sintering temperature, however, causes the hysteresis loop to spread. Regarding UV spectra of the samples, it is revealed that there are three impurity levels whose behaviors against sintering temperature are subtractive. Analysis of composite samples by scanning electron microscopy indicates that their microstructure consists of grains and grain boundaries. Resistivity of grain boundaries is the main responsible factor for these changes in varistor characteristic as a function of sintering temperature.

Key words: ZnO; electrical properties; sintering temperature; varistor; composite; microstructure