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The influence of doping with Ge on the nonlinear coefficient α and the breakdown electric field E B of TiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 –CaCO 3 varistor ceramics was investigated. In this study, TiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 –CaCO 3 varistor ceramics added with Ge was successfully prepared using the traditional method of ball milling–molding–sintering. The electrical performance, including the nonlinear coefficient α , the breakdown electric field E B , and the leakage current J L , are tested using a varistor direct current parameter instrument. The average barrier height Φ B of each sample is calculated using the relevant formula. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and scanning transmission electronic microscopy analyses demonstrated that Ge doping notably changed the microstructure of TiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 –CaCO 3 ceramics, thereby increasing α and decreasing E B . When the doping contents of Ta 2 O 5 and CaCO 3 were 0.2 and 0.4 mol%, respectively, the optimum doping content of 0.9 mol% Ge exhibited high α (10.2), low E B (14.1 V mm −1 ), and high Φ B (0.95 eV). These results are superior to previous findings. In addition, Ge as sintering aid reduced the sintering temperature caused by the low melting point. The optimal sintering temperature was 1300 °C for the TiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 –CaCO 3 ceramics doped with Ge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of codoping with Ge and GeO2 on the nonlinear coefficient α and the breakdown voltage EB of TiO2-Nb2O5-SrCO3 varistor ceramics. Ge-GeO2 codoping notably changed the microstructure of the TiO2-Nb2O5-SrCO3 ceramics, increased α, and decreased EB. When the doping contents of Nb2O5 and SrCO3 were 0.1 and 0.2 mol%, respectively, the optimum doping content of 0.25 mol% Ge and 0.75 mol% GeO2 exhibited high α (11.6), low EB (13.8 V/mm), and high grain-boundary barrier ΦB (0.96 eV). These results are superior to previous findings. In addition, Ge and GeO2, which function as sintering aids, reduced the sintering temperature caused by the low melting point. The optimal sintering temperature was 1260°C for the TiO2-Nb2O5-Sr CO3 ceramics doped with Ge and GeO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of elemental crystal Ge or/and GeO 2 doping on the microstructure and varistor properties of TiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 –CaCO 3 varistor ceramics, which were prepared via the traditional ball milling–molding–sintering process. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated that co-doping with Ge and GeO 2 changed the microstructure of TiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 –CaCO 3 ceramics, thereby increasing the nonlinear coefficient and decreasing the breakdown voltage. The optimum doping concentrations of Ta 2 O 5 , CaCO 3 , Ge, and GeO 2 exhibited the highest nonlinear coefficient (α =14.6), a lower breakdown voltage ( E B =18.7 V mm −1 ), the least leakage current ( J L =10.5 μA cm −2 ), and the highest grain boundary barrier ( Φ B =1.05 eV). In addition, Ge and GeO 2 function as sintering aids, which reduce the sintering temperature because of their low melting points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]