Effect of sintering temperature on dielectric properties of barium titanate ceramics and composite

Abstract

The structure and dielectric properties of barium titanate ceramics samples sintered at 1100, 1150, 1200, 1250 and 1350 °C have been compared with the dielectric properties of 80 vol.% barium titanate + 20 vol.% barium ferrite composite samples sintered at 1150, 1200 and 1250 °C. It has been shown that polarization sufficient for existence of the piezoelectric effect is only achieved in barium titanate samples sintered at 1250 and 1350 °C. Furthermore the pyroelectric coefficient and reversal polarization of these samples are far higher than those of samples sintered at lower temperatures. Analysis of the sample structures has confirmed that the dielectric properties of barium titanate ceramics depend on grain size and therefore on sintering temperature. Based on the experimental results we have selected the optimum sintering temperature for 80 vol.% barium titanate + 20 vol.% barium ferrite composite to be 1250 °С. Further increase in sintering temperature to 1300 °C showed that this composite has a eutectic. The temperature dependence of the permittivity of the barium titanate / barium ferrite composite sintered at 1250 °С is similar to that of BaTiO3 ceramics samples sintered at 1350 °С. The room temperature permittivity of the composite samples also proves to be far higher than that of barium titanate ceramics samples sintered at the same temperatures. Barium ferrite addition to barium titanate increases the permittivity of the composite and also diffuses the ferroelectric phase transition and shifts the permittivity maximum temperature by 10 °C towards higher temperatures.