Electrical conductivity-microstructure correlation in AIN-CuO composites

Water vapor is an important constituent of any gas and in many applications is regarded as a contaminant that needs to be monitored and controlled. AIN-CuO composites (2 % ≤ CuO ≤ 50 % by weight) have been studied to exploit them as novel humidity sensors over wide ranges of moisture levels and temperature. Development of benign microstructure with open porosity has been attempted by varying the composition and firing conditions. The impedance data acquired on the composites over the frequency range 5 Hz to 13 MHz, revealed a bulk response in terms of a single semicircular relaxation in the complex Z*-plane. A systematic variation of electrical conductivity with CuO content in the composites has been explained in the light of percolation theory.