microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of pr6o11 doped sno2-based varistors

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Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr 6 O 11 Doped SnO 2 -based varistors Iman Safaee a,b , Mohammad Ali Bahrevar a, , Mohammad Maleki Shahraki a , Saeid Baghshahi b , Kamran Ahmadi a a Materials and Energy Research Center, Semiconductors department, P.O. Box 31787-316, Karaj, Iran b Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran abstract article info Article history: Received 15 August 2010 Received in revised form 12 February 2011 Accepted 14 February 2011 Available online 25 March 2011 Keywords: SnO 2 Varistor Pr 6 O 11 Grain growth kinetic Electrical properties The effect of the addition of various amounts of Pr 6 O 11 on the grain growth and densication process, microstructure, formation and distribution of secondary phases, and electrical properties of SnO 2 -based varistors containing cobalt and niobium oxides has been investigated. It has been observed that in the presence of as low as 0.1 mol% of Pr 6 O 11 , the formation of Pr 2 Sn 2 O 7 can be detected using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The kinetics of grain growth in samples without and with praseodymium oxide has shown that increasing Pr 6 O 11 from 0 to 0.5 mol%, changes the grain growth exponent from 2 to 6 and the activation energy from 350 kJ/mol to around 700 kJ/mol. This may be due to the cooperative effect of the secondary phases. The largest nonlinear coefcient, α, and the lowest leakage current, I L , has been observed for the sample containing 0.05 mol% Pr 6 O 11 whereas the highest breakdown voltage has been recorded for the sample with 0.5 mol% Pr 6 O 11 . © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Metal oxide varistors are predominantly based on polycrystalline semiconducting ceramics which present highly nonlinear IV characteristics. Their electrical properties are essentially modied and affected by their grain boundaries which are responsible for the double Schottky barriers developed [1,2]. ZnO and SnO 2 -based varistors have been the most notable examples developed so far [3,4]. In spite of the commercialization and tremendous research on ZnO-based varistors, the exact role of the grain boundary chemistry has not yet been fully claried, even though the fundamentals of the main operating principles are well understood [5]. The multitude of additive oxides in this system is another disadvantage. SnO 2 -based varistors, on the other hand, have a simple microstructure and a limited number of additives. They are potential candidates to replace the ZnO-based varistors provided that their non-linearity is improved [6]. In this system, the electrical properties mainly depend on the composition, density, grain size and the distribution of the second phases. Pure SnO 2 , however, suffers from low sinterability because of the non-densifying mechanisms for mass transport such as evaporation/condensation and surface diffusion [7]. In order to improve the sinterability, the use of very ne SnO 2 powder and highly pressed compacts can be helpful [8]. In addition, the use of suitable dopants in varistor compositions have been suggested [9]. In general, three types of dopant materials are used in SnO 2 - based varistors as densiers, resistance reducers and modiers [10]. Dopant oxides such as CoO, MnO, or ZnO are usually ionically compensated by oxygen vacancies which enhance densication in SnO 2 [9,11,12]. It has been reported that small additions of CoO can promote the densication to over 98% of the theoretical density. When donor dopants such as Nb 2 O 5 or Sb 2 O 3 are added, they reduce the resistance of SnO 2 grains and thus provide a means of controlling the properties of varistors [1214]. Dopants such as Cr 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 and rare earth oxides Pr 2 O 3 ,Er 2 O 3 are modier dopants that can effectively improve the electrical properties of the varistors [1520]. These oxide additives can affect the varistor properties either directly, through segregation at SnO 2 grain boundaries and relating to the nonlinearity of the IV characteristics, or indirectly, by affecting the microstructural development of the ceramic body [6]. It has been found that Praseodymium oxide doping in SnO 2 - based varistor not only inhibits the grain growth but also improves the electrical properties such as the nonlinear exponent, α, as mentioned above [17,18,21]. Although a lot of research has been devoted to the study of the effects of different dopants on the electrical properties and microstructural characteristics such as grain size and distribution of the second phases in SnO 2 varistors, a thorough effort to study the kinetics of grain growth is lacking but highly desired. The aim of the present work is to study the effect of Pr 6 O 11 on the microstructural characteristics such as grain size and the distribution of the secondary phases, and to focus on the kinetics of the growth of SnO 2 grains in the presence of both densier (CoO) and resistance reducer oxides (Nb 2 O 5 ). Solid State Ionics 189 (2011) 1318 Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 9121055493. E-mail address: [email protected] (M.A. Bahrevar). 0167-2738/$ see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ssi.2011.02.012 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Solid State Ionics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ssi

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Page 1: Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr6O11 Doped SnO2-based varistors

Solid State Ionics 189 (2011) 13–18

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Solid State Ionics

j ourna l homepage: www.e lsev ie r.com/ locate /ss i

Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr6O11 DopedSnO2-based varistors

Iman Safaee a,b, Mohammad Ali Bahrevar a,⁎, Mohammad Maleki Shahraki a,Saeid Baghshahi b, Kamran Ahmadi a

a Materials and Energy Research Center, Semiconductors department, P.O. Box 31787-316, Karaj, Iranb Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 9121055493.E-mail address: [email protected] (M.A. Bahre

0167-2738/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. Aldoi:10.1016/j.ssi.2011.02.012

a b s t r a c t

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Received 15 August 2010Received in revised form 12 February 2011Accepted 14 February 2011Available online 25 March 2011

Keywords:SnO2

VaristorPr6O11

Grain growth kineticElectrical properties

The effect of the addition of various amounts of Pr6O11 on the grain growth and densification process,microstructure, formation and distribution of secondary phases, and electrical properties of SnO2-basedvaristors containing cobalt and niobium oxides has been investigated. It has been observed that in thepresence of as low as 0.1 mol% of Pr6O11, the formation of Pr2Sn2O7 can be detected using X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The kinetics of grain growth in samples without and withpraseodymium oxide has shown that increasing Pr6O11 from 0 to 0.5 mol%, changes the grain growthexponent from 2 to 6 and the activation energy from 350 kJ/mol to around 700 kJ/mol. This may be due to thecooperative effect of the secondary phases. The largest nonlinear coefficient, α, and the lowest leakagecurrent, IL, has been observed for the sample containing 0.05 mol% Pr6O11 whereas the highest breakdownvoltage has been recorded for the sample with 0.5 mol% Pr6O11.

var).

l rights reserved.

© 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Metal oxide varistors are predominantly based on polycrystallinesemiconducting ceramics which present highly nonlinear I–Vcharacteristics. Their electrical properties are essentially modified andaffected by their grain boundaries which are responsible for the doubleSchottky barriers developed [1,2]. ZnO and SnO2-based varistors havebeen the most notable examples developed so far [3,4]. In spite of thecommercialization and tremendous research on ZnO-based varistors,the exact role of the grain boundary chemistry has not yet been fullyclarified, even though the fundamentals of themainoperatingprinciplesare well understood [5]. The multitude of additive oxides in this systemis another disadvantage.

SnO2-based varistors, on the other hand, have a simplemicrostructureanda limitednumberof additives. They arepotential candidates to replacethe ZnO-based varistors provided that their non-linearity is improved [6].In this system, theelectricalpropertiesmainlydependon thecomposition,density, grain size and the distribution of the second phases. Pure SnO2,however, suffers from low sinterability because of the non-densifyingmechanisms for mass transport such as evaporation/condensation andsurface diffusion [7]. In order to improve the sinterability, the use of veryfine SnO2 powder and highly pressed compacts can be helpful [8]. Inaddition, the use of suitable dopants in varistor compositions have been

suggested [9]. In general, three types of dopantmaterials areused in SnO2-based varistors as densifiers, resistance reducers and modifiers [10].Dopant oxides such as CoO, MnO, or ZnO are usually ionicallycompensated by oxygen vacancies which enhance densification in SnO2

[9,11,12]. It hasbeen reported that small additionsof CoOcanpromote thedensification to over 98% of the theoretical density. When donor dopantssuch as Nb2O5 or Sb2O3 are added, they reduce the resistance of SnO2

grains and thus provide a means of controlling the properties ofvaristors [12–14]. Dopants such as Cr2O3, Fe2O3 and rare earth oxides –Pr2O3 ,Er2O3 – are modifier dopants that can effectively improve theelectrical properties of the varistors [15–20]. These oxide additives canaffect the varistor properties either directly, through segregation at SnO2

grainboundaries and relating to thenonlinearity of the I–Vcharacteristics,or indirectly, by affecting themicrostructural development of the ceramicbody [6]. It has been found that Praseodymium oxide doping in SnO2-based varistor not only inhibits the grain growth but also improves theelectrical properties such as the nonlinear exponent, α, as mentionedabove [17,18,21]. Although a lot of research has beendevoted to the studyof the effects of different dopants on the electrical properties andmicrostructural characteristics such as grain size and distribution of thesecond phases in SnO2 varistors, a thorough effort to study the kinetics ofgrain growth is lacking but highly desired.

The aim of the present work is to study the effect of Pr6O11 on themicrostructural characteristics such as grain size and the distributionof the secondary phases, and to focus on the kinetics of the growth ofSnO2 grains in the presence of both densifier (CoO) and resistancereducer oxides (Nb2O5).

Page 2: Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr6O11 Doped SnO2-based varistors

Table 1The selected molar percentages of the starting oxides for different samples.

Molar Percentages SnO2 CoO Nb2O5 Pr6O11

Sample

SCN 99.00 0.90 0.10 0.00SCNP0.05 98.95 0.90 0.10 0.05SCNP0.1 98.90 0.90 0.10 0.10SCNP0.2 98.80 0.90 0.10 0.20SCNP0.5 98.50 0.90 0.10 0.50

Fig. 1. The relative densities of the samples fired at 1300 °C as a function of the sinteringtime.

Fig. 2. The XRD spectra a) SCNP0.5, b) SCNP0.1, and c)SCNP0.05 samples.

14 I. Safaee et al. / Solid State Ionics 189 (2011) 13–18

2. Experimental procedure

Five different varistor samples were prepared using commerciallyavailable SnO2 and Nb2O5 powders both from Merck (purity N99%) andCoO (99.99% pure) and Pr6O11 (99.9% pure) powders from Aldrich. Theselectedmolar percentages of the starting oxides are tabulated in Table 1.Having fixed the percentage of CoO and Nb2O5 molar, the parentages ofPr6O11molar,were alwaysbalancedbySnO2 in thesamples. Thepowdersweremixed andmilled in ethanol by a shakermill (SPEX 8000M) using azirconia container (3-cm diameter barrel) and milling media (0.5 and1.0-cm diameter balls) for 2h. After drying, the mixtures were crushedand sieved through a100-mesh screen. TheBET surface area of themilledpowders was determined using Micromertics Gemini 2375 instrument.The specific surface areaof thepowderwas12.13 m2/g (corresponding toan equivalent diameter of 70 nm) .The milled powders were thengranulated using an aqueous solution of PVA and the 100-mesh screen.The green bodies were uniaxially pressed at 250 MPa. The specimenswere placed in alumina crucibles and fully surrounded with a powder ofmatching composition. The samples were fired in a Carbolite RHF 17/6SFurnace in air. The firing schedule consisted of raising the temperature toabout 600 °C and holding for 1 h to burn off the binder and then raisingthe temperature to the final sintering temperatures at the rate of 5 °C/min. Four different temperatures of 1250, 1300, 1350 and 1400 °C wereselected as the sintering temperatures and the soaking times at the finaltemperature varied from 1 to 6 h. The density of the sintered sampleswere measured using the Archimedes method in water. The X-raydiffraction analyses were carried out on a Philips Xpert (3710)diffractometer with Cu kα operating at 40 kV and 30 mA. A step size of0.01° and the time per step of 10 s were used to determine the phasecomposition. A Cambridge S 360 scanning electronmicroscopewas usedto acquire micrographs of the polished and thermally etched samples.The imaging system, Image J, softwarewasused todetermine the averagegrain size from the linear intercept data collected over 300 grains. Theenergy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to identify the elementspresent in the desired phases. Electrical measurements were carried outon the discswith silver paste electrodes fixed on both faces and annealedat 650 °C for 15 min. The nonlinear coefficient (α) was determined fromthe I–V characteristic curve. The I–V data were collected using a KeithlySourcemeter (2410). The breakdown voltage (Vb) was measured as thevoltage at current of 1 mA. The nonlinear coefficient was calculated bymeasuring the voltages V2 andV1 at currents I2 and I1 (10 mA and 1 mA),respectively, using the formula:

α = 1= Log V10mA = V1mAð Þ½ �: ð1Þ

3. Results and discussion

3.1. The effect of Pr6O11

Fig. 1 shows the relative densities of the various samples of Table 1as a function of the sintering time at 1300 °C. It is seen that for thesample without any praseodymium oxide, the maximum density isattained within the first 2h. It can, further, be noted that anysubsequent increase in Pr6O11 results in a lower relative density.Although the two samples SCN and SCNP0.05 achieved densities of up

to 98%, the others did not reach such values even after 6 h sinteringand it seems that full densification is unlikely. A similar behavior hasalso been reported by Jin-Fen Wang et al. [18] who have attributedthis effect to the lattice distortion. Chun-Ming Wang et al. [17] havereported a more or less constant relative density with respect to theincreasing Pr2O3 content. However, they used Ta2O5 instead of Nb2O5

as a resistance reducer in their system.Fig. 2 shows the diffraction patterns of the three different Pr-doped

samples. It shows that no secondary phases, within XRD detection limits,have been observed in the SCNP0.05 sample. However, the presence ofPr2Sn2O7, as a secondary phase, has been detectable in samplescontaining higher percentages of praseodymium oxide which were notreported earlier. It is also concluded that any increase in praseodymiumoxide results in smaller grain sizes as reported by others too [17,18].

It is noted that the oxidation state of Pr in Pr2Sn2O7 is +3. The ionicradius of Pr3+ (0.101 nm) in comparisonwith that of Sn4+ (0.071 nm) israther large, hence, the solubility of Pr3+ in tinoxide is quite limited; thus,it precipitates asfine secondaryparticles along the grain boundaries of tinoxide. It has been reported that up to 1 mol% Pr2O3would not lead to anysecondphases [17,18]. Nanosized Pr2Sn2O7 particles, however, havebeendetected by transmission electron microscopy [21].

Fig. 3 shows the backscattered images of polished and etchedsurfaces of the samples sintered at 1300 °C for 4 h. Fig. 3a illustratesthe microstructure of the Pr-free sample and the others (3b, c and d)correspond to the samples dopedwith increasing Pr6O11, respectively.

Although there is no apparent indication of the presence of asecond phase in the SCN and SCNP0.05 micrographs, in agreementwiththe XRD data (Fig. 2c), one can clearly observe light grains of a secondphase in the microstructures of samples SCNP0.1 and SCNP0.5 (Fig. 3 c,

Page 3: Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr6O11 Doped SnO2-based varistors

Fig. 3. The micrographs a, b, c and d show back scattered images of SCN, SCNP0.05, SCNP0.1, and SCNP0.5, respectively.

15I. Safaee et al. / Solid State Ionics 189 (2011) 13–18

and d). The micrograph of Fig. 4 shows the backscattered image ofsample SCNP0.1 as well as the EDX analysis of the second phase asindicated by the squared window. The XRD data (Fig. 2b) as well asthe EDX spectrum of Fig. 4b show that this second phase is rich in bothtin and praseodymium and it is identified as Pr2Sn2O7 which normallyprecipitates at the triple points.

The amount of Pr2Sn2O7 increases with the increase in Pr6O11,resulting in a decrease in grain size and an increase in porosity (Fig. 3).Fig. 5 shows the variation in the mean grain size of samples versusPr6O11 in mol%, for samples sintered at different temperatures for afixed soaking time of 2 h.

3.2. Grain growth kinetics

In normal grain growth, the model of Burke and Turnbull results ina parabolic grain growth lawwhich is not exactly followed in practice.Instead, the grain growth data of dense polycrystalline solids followthe empirical equation [22]:

Gn−Gn0 = k0 exp −Q = RTð Þt ð2Þ

where G is the average grain size at time t, G0, the initial grain size (att=0), k0, a constant, R, the universal gas constant, T, the absolutetemperature, and Q, the activation energy for the diffusion processinvolved. The growth exponentn can takeupdifferent values for varioussintering mechanisms. By plotting ln G versus 1/T for a given time, theslope will be equal to –Q/nR where n is obtained from ln G versus ln tcurve for a given temperature. The use of starting nanopowder justifiesthe assumption GnNNG0

n, hence, G0n can be neglected.

Eq. 2 is based upon the assumption that, in normal grain growth[23], the grain size distribution function predicted by the theories istime invariant [24,25]. Fig. 6 shows the cumulative frequency versus

grain size and normalized grain size for SCNP0.1 sample sintered at1300 °C for various times. It clearly demonstrates the similarity of thegrain size distribution for the sample SCNP0.1 and the time invarianceas assumed in the mean field theories for normal grain growth indense polycrystalline solids.

Fig. 7 illustrates the plot of ln(G) versus ln(t) for the five differentsamples. The growth exponent, n, was determined from the slope ofthis plot and tabulated in Table 2. From the values of n and the plots ofFig. 8, which illustrate the variation of ln(G) with T−1 for the samples,the activation energy, Q, has been evaluated. Both Q and the R-squared values, a measure of fit goodness for the activation energies,are presented in Table 2.

It is evident that the activation energy for the SCN sample is about350±28 kJ/mol, with the growth exponent of 2 in which grain growthanddensification proceed simultaneously and the growthmechanism iscontrolledby grain boundarymobility [26]. Inpure tin oxide, however, ithas been reported that at temperatures higher than 1300 °C, due to thestrong covalent bonding between tin and oxygen atoms, the diffusioncoefficient is reduced and evaporation/condensation is the dominantgrowthmechanism,whereas at lower temperatures, surface diffusion isresponsible [27]. These mechanisms are both non-densifying, and thus,do not apply to our SCN system. Upon the introduction of CoO in solidsolution, the substitution of Co2+ ions for Sn4+ is accompanied by thecreation of oxygen vacancies, V0°°, which promote the densification andchange themechanism from evaporation/condensation to the diffusionprocess [9,12]. The addition of niobium oxide to the pure tin oxide,however; can cause Vsn′′′′, which does not cause densification of the tinoxide [28].

Maitre et al. [29] have reported n=4 for the system SnO2-0.5 mol%CoO fired at 1200 °C and reported pore mobility as the rate limitingfactor. Chang et al. reported n=2 for SnO2-1 mol%CoO-0.5 mol%Nb2O5 system and have attributed it to the iso-electric point of the

Page 4: Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr6O11 Doped SnO2-based varistors

Fig. 6. a) The cumulative frequency versus grain size for SCNP0.1 sample for varioustimes. b) The cumulative frequency versus the normalized grain size for the samesample.

Fig. 4. (a)The back scattered image of sample SCNP0.1 b) The EDX spectrum of thesecond phase as defined by the square in (a).

16 I. Safaee et al. / Solid State Ionics 189 (2011) 13–18

composition [30]. In the present work, however, the absence ofsecond phases and the high density of SCN samples indicate that thediffusion of oxygen or tin ions is responsible for the grain growth anda growth exponent of 2 does, indeed, corroborate this point. It must bepointed out that although no sign of any second phase has beendetected in either the XRD data or the SEM microstructures in thepresent work, the formation of nano-sized particles of Co2SnO4 hasbeen reported in TEM studies while cooling the specimens from thefiring temperatures in SnO2–0.5CoO [31]. Moreover, it has beenreported that CoO can form a solid solution with SnO2 up to 8 mol% atthe sintering temperature while the actual grain growth occurs [9]. Inthe SCN samples the solubility of CoO is increased by the presence of

Fig. 5. Variation of SnO2 mean grain size (±0.1 μm) as a function of Pr6O11 for thesamples sintered at different temperatures for 2 h.

Fig. 7. ln (G) vs. ln (t) plots for samples sintered at 1300 °C with different Pr6O11.

Nb2O5 [30]. Therefore, n=2 for the SCN samples agrees well with thatof a dense single-phase SnO2-based system.

The dissociation enthalpy of pure tin oxide is 567 kJ/mol [32],whereas this energy, in the presence of cobalt ions, can increase up to814 kJ/mol [33]. With regards to the present system, the activation

Table 2The growth exponent, n, and activation energies, Q, of the different samples.

Sample n Q(kJ/mol)* R2

SCN 2 350±28 0.9883SCNP0.05 4 688±34 0.9959SCNP0.1 5 715±56 0.9835SCNP0.2 5 670±59 0.9815SCNP0.5 6 766±70 0.9851

*: ±values are the 97.5% confidence intervals.

Page 5: Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr6O11 Doped SnO2-based varistors

Fig. 8. ln (G) vs. 1/T plots for the samples with different pr6O11.

Table 3Electrical properties of the prepared varistors.

Electrical Properties BreakdownVoltage(kV/cm)

NonlinearCoefficient(α)

LeakageCurrent(μA)

Sample

SCN 5 14 125SCNP0.05 11.5 39 67SCNP0.1 14.5 31 78SCNP0.2 18 23 100SCNP0.5 19 18 110

17I. Safaee et al. / Solid State Ionics 189 (2011) 13–18

energy for the diffusion of either Sn4+ or V0°° is less than 814 kJ/mol.In the SCN sample, the activation energy is 350±28 kJ/mol and isprobably due the activation energy required for the diffusion of Vsn′′′′and, in fact, it has been reported that in systems with a molar ratio ofNb2O5/CoOb0.25, the dominant mechanism of grain growth is thediffusion of Vsn′′′′ [28].

The value of the growth exponent, n, changes dramatically with theaddition of Pr6O11 and assumes the value of 4 in the SCNP0.05 whichindicates a change of mechanism controlling the grain growth. Furtheraddition of praseodymium oxide changes n to 6 for the SCNP0.5 sampleshowing the strong dependence of n on the Pr6O11 content. Theactivation energies of samples containing praseodymium oxide, withinthe experimental error, seem to be similar and equal to 700 kJ/mol. Onecan, therefore, conclude that the dominant factors controlling the graingrowth in SCNP0.1, SCNP0.2 and SCNP0.5 samples are the same and that isthe presence of the second phase particles of Pr2Sn2O7. This remark hasbeen supported by XRD and SEM results. This secondary phase inhibitsthe growth of SnO2 grains according to the Zenermechanismwhich hasalso been reported in ZnO–SiO2 and ZnO–Sb2O3 systems [34,35].Although no trace of Pr2Sn2O7 has been observed for the sampleSCNP0.05, the presence of its nanometer-sized particles along grainboundaries and triple junctions has been reported for the SnO2-basedvaristors through TEM studies [21]. A value of n=4 for the SnO2–CoOsystem has already been attributed to the grain growth controlled bypore or secondary phasemobility [29,36]. In the presentwork, the X-raydiffractogram and SEM micrographs indicate an increase in the weightof second phase which is accompanied by an increase in porosity, also

Fig. 9. I–V characteristic curves of the different SnO2- based varistors.

supported by results of Fig. 1. This trend of increasing growth exponent ,n , of the SCNP specimens along with the decrease in density withoutany pronounced change in the activation energy is suggestive of thecooperative effects of the Pr2Sn2O7 second phase and the increase inporosity accompanying it .

3.3. Electrical properties

Fig. 9 shows the I–V characteristic curves of different samplesfired at1300 °C for 2 h and the values of nonlinear coefficients, breakdownvoltages, and leakage currents are summarized in Table 3. It is apparentthat the breakdown voltage of the SnO2-based varistors increasedsubstantially with increasing praseodymium oxide. The breakdownvoltage increases from a value of 5 kV/cm to 19 kV/cmwhen increasingthe Pr6O11 content from 0 to 0.5 mol%. It can be seen that the α valuespresent an ascending behaviorwith an increase in Pr6O11 up to 0.05 mol%, whereas the behavior reverses to a descending one at higher molarpercentages of Pr6O11. The values of theα exponent showa similar trendto those reported by Chun-MingWang et al. [17] and Jin-FenWang et al.[18]. The breakdown voltage data agree reasonably well with those ofJin-FenWang [18]. The increase inα and thedecrease in leakage currentcan be attributed to the segregation of Pr3+ ions at grain boundaries[6,18]. However, any further increase of praseodymiumoxide causes thedeprivation of Pr3+ ions at grain boundaries through the formation andprecipitation of Pr2Sn2O7 phase as indicated in Fig. 2 and micrograph ofFig. 3. This phenomenonmay have a deleterious effect on the nonlinearexponent and leakage current as discussed above. The breakdownvoltage, however, increases monotonically because of the reduction ofgrain size with increasing Pr6O11 content. Due to favorable comparisonof our result with those reported in reference [18] and the similarity ofthe formulations, the present discussion of grain growth and kineticsmay be applied to similar systems.

4. Conclusions

The solid solubilityof Pr6O11 in SnO2 is very limitedandvalueshigherthan 0.05 mol% of Pr6O11 result in the second phase precipitation ofPr2Sn2O7. This has been confirmed by XRD and SEM. With increasingpraseodymium oxide, the grain size decreases and increased porosityassociated with second phase precipitates is also observed.

The value of the growth exponent, n, in the SCN sample, is 2which isin agreement with a pure single phase system. However, the activationenergy, namely, 350 kJ/mol, is indicative that the diffusion of tin cationsis probably responsible for the rate controlling mechanism.

In Pr-doped samples, the growth exponent, n, increases from 4 to 6with increasing Pr content and the activation energy oscillates around700 kJ/mol. The increase in n may be due to the presence of porosityaccompanying the secondary phases. In fact, it is a cooperative effect.The nonlinear coefficient was maximized for SCNP0.05 sample and athigher molar percentages of praseodymium oxide, with the depletionof grain boundaries from Pr3+ cations through the formation ofPr2Sn2O7 precipitates, the nonlinear coefficient was reduced. Alongwith an increase in leakage current, the breakdown voltage increasedwith the decrease in average grain size in the samples.

Page 6: Microstructural characteristics and grain growth kinetics of Pr6O11 Doped SnO2-based varistors

18 I. Safaee et al. / Solid State Ionics 189 (2011) 13–18

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Mr. Nouraei for helping with theX-ray analyses.

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