Composite nanostructured ZrO2–TiO2 ceramics with pyroelectric properties
摘要
The article presents lead-free and environmentally friendly ceramic matrix composites of the ZrO2–TiO2 system with controlled differences in structure, micromorphology, porosity, and dielectric properties, such as dielectric permittivity and dielectric loss, in the frequency range of 100 Hz–1 MHz at temperatures from 20 to 175 °C. Ceramic samples prepared by short-term solid-state sintering consisted of non-centrosymmetric polar phases of monoclinic ZrO2 and orthorhombic ZrTiO4, as well as a centrosymmetric tetragonal phase of rutile TiO2. The composite ceramics with a lower ZrO2 content exhibited uneven micromorphology and inhomogeneous phase distribution, low relative density (70%), and a large number of open pores, which resulted in a lower relative permittivity and a higher dielectric loss tangent. The composite ceramics with an increased ZrO2 content has lower open porosity and a relative density of ~ 85%, which, together with the improved nanocrystalline structure, allowed it to demonstrate a pyroelectric coefficient of – 0.5 μC/m2‧K.