Abstract

In the present study, the impact of CaSiO3 addition on microstructure and electrical characteristics of a ZnO-based varistor system was investigated. The ceramic materials were prepared by solid-state reaction route by varying the CaSiO3 concentrations (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 wt%) and sintered at 1300 °C. Characterization of the pelletized samples was carried out by density measurement, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, and current density-electric field characteristics measurement. The growth of ZnO grain was restrained with the introduction of CaSiO3; the average grain size decreases from 18.09 to 10.85 μm, whereas their relative density increases up to 99.79%. Structural results indicated the existence of the CaSiO3-rich phase without any other secondary phase formation. It is also revealed that different CaSiO3 contents significantly affect the electrical properties, prominently in the sample with 12 wt% CaSiO3 addition. The maximal value of the nonlinear coefficient, breakdown voltage, and barrier height acquired in this work were 4.41, 0.80 V/mm, and 0.691 eV, respectively, along with a sharp decline in leakage current density to 373.93 μA/cm2. Further increase in CaSiO3 content (15 wt%) eventually caused a deterioration in varistor behavior.

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