Electrical Characteristics and Microstructures of Pr6O11-doped Bi4Ti3O12 Ceramics

The electrical properties of Pr6O11-doped bismuth titanates (BixPryTi3O12,2, BPT) ceramics prepared by a conventional ceramic technique have been investigated. At applied d.c. field below 200V/mm, the current-voltage curve of Pr-doped samples exhibit negative differential resistance behavior. The conducting filamentary model has been used to explain the negative differential resistance phenomenon in Pr-doped bismuth titanates. The impedance spectrum indicates that Pr-doped sample consists of semiconducting grain and moderately insulating grain boundary regions. XRD, SEM and EPMA analyses reveal crystalline phase characterized by a Bi-layered perovskite structure of Bi4Ti3O12 and the distribution of every element is uniform. Pr-doped samples exhibit randomly oriented and plate-like morphology.