Effect of Sintering Temperature on Electrical and Dielectric Properties of Ni Based BaTiO₃ Composite

Barium titanate-nickel composites (BaTiO₃–Ni) were sintered in tube furnace at different temperatures (Nitrogen Atmosphere) for analyzing the sintering effect on the electrical properties. BaTiO₃–Ni was synthesized by an alkoxide-hydroxide sol–gel method. XRD and FE-SEM were performed to confirm the phases and morphology of BaTiO₃ and Ni. The results indicate that by changing the temperature in sintering process, the grain size of the BaTiO₃–Ni composite was increased and its electrical properties decreased at 1250 °C due to the oxidation of nickel at high temperature. At 1150–1200 °C, the relative density and electrical properties of the composite gave highest values. At these temperatures, the dielectric constant with minimal tangent loss increased from ∼2000 for monolithic BaTiO₃ to ∼15000 by increasing the Ni content at 10 kHz in case of 1150 °C. The enhanced dielectric properties of the BaTiO₃–Ni composite are due to the percolation effect of Ni inclusion in the BaTiO₃ matrix.