Annealing effects on the characteristics of high Tc lead-free barium titanate-based positive temperature coefficient of resistivity ceramics

Annealing effects on the positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) behavior of (Bi(1/2)Na(1/2))TiO(3) and (Bi(1/2)K(1/2))TiO(3) modified BaTiO(3) semiconducting ceramics are investigated. The annealing treatments result in the occurrence of the PTCR effect and the increased resistivity jump. The impedance spectra reveal that the resistivity of grain interior of annealed sample is little influenced by the annealing process, indicating that the increase in the overall resistivity is entirely a grain-boundary effect. A higher annealing temperature leads to an increase in acceptor state density, potential barrier height and barrier layer width, which contributes to the improved PTCR effect in the annealed samples. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3013447]