Conduction Studies of Pb(Zr0.35-xYxTi0.65)O3 (x = 0.00, 0.10 and Y = Mn/Ce) Ceramics

Abstract

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT), being one of the most widely investigated ferroelectric, plays a crucial role in the development of technologies related to memories, sensors, actuators, etc. In this work, the samples of Pb(Zr0.35-xYxTi0.65)O3 (x = 0.00, 0.10 and Y = Mn/Ce) composition were synthesized, to investigate their conduction mechanism as a function of frequency and temperature. The temperature response of conductivity of the samples, over selected frequencies, indicated reduction in the barrier properties of the materials. It is observed that the magnitude of conductivity, over a wide range of frequency, is higher for cerium (Ce) modified PZT and lower and manganese (Mn) modified PZT. The negative coefficient of resistance behavior has been observed, from the nature of the variation of the conductivity of samples. Significantly, the conductivity spectra of the compounds is governed by Jonscher’s power law.