Investigation of conduction and relaxation phenomena in BaZrxTi1−xO3 (x=0.05) by impedance spectroscopy

• BaZrxTi1−xO3 (x=0.05) ceramic by conventional solid state reaction route.
• CIS used to study the material behaviour in wide range of frequency & temperature.
• tanδ peak was found to obey an Arrhenius law with activation energy of 1.02 eV.
• A parallel combination of RC circuit found for grain and grain boundaries.

In present study we have prepared ferroelectric BaZrxTi1−xO3 (x=0.05) ceramic by conventional solid state reaction route and studied its electrical properties as a function of temperature and frequency. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows single-phase formation of the compound with orthorhombic crystal structure at room temperature. Impedance and electric modulus spectroscopy analysis in the frequency range of 40 Hz–1 MHz at high temperature (200–600 °C) suggests two relaxation processes with different time constant are involved which are attributed to bulk and grain boundary effects. Frequency dependent dielectric plot at different temperature shows normal variation with frequency while dielectric loss (tanδ) peak was found to obey an Arrhenius law with activation energy of 1.02 eV. The frequency-dependent AC conductivity data were also analyzed in a wide temperature range.

The electrical properties which give electrical microstructure that correlates to its ceramic microstructure are less studied for BZT. Various parameters such as grain, grain boundary and electrode/interface that affect the electrical properties in ceramics. The charge transport can be attributed to the charge displacement, dipole reorientation and space charge formation.In present work we have studied the role of grain and grain boundaries on the electrical behaviour of Zr-doped BaTiO3 and their dependence on temperature and frequency by complex impedance and modulus spectroscopy (CIS) technique in a wide frequency (40 Hz–1 MHz) and high temperature range.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide