Characterization of the BaBiO3-doped BaTiO3 positive temperature coefficient of a resistivity ceramic using impedance spectroscopy with Tc = 155 °C

Abstract

BaBiO3-doped BaTiO3 (BB—BT) ceramic, as a candidate for lead-free positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) materials with a higher Curie temperature, has been synthesized in air by a conventional sintering technique. The temperature dependence of resistivity shows that the phase transition of the PTC thermistor ceramic occurs at the Curie temperature, Tc = 155 °C, which is higher than that of BaTiO3 (≤ 130 °C). Analysis of ac impedance data using complex impedance spectroscopy gives the alternate current (AC) resistance of the PTCR ceramic. By additional use of the complex electric modulus formalism to analyse the same data, the inhomogeneous nature of the ceramic may be unveiled. The impedance spectra reveal that the grain resistance of the BB—BT sample is slightly influenced by the increase of temperature, indicating that the increase in overall resistivity is entirely due to a grain-boundary effect. Based on the dependence of the extent to which the peaks of the imaginary part of electric modulus and impedance are matched on frequency, the conduction mechanism is also discussed for a BB—BT ceramic system.