The contribution of fractal nature to BaTiO3-ceramics microstructure analysis

Abstract

The structure of BaTiO3 based materials can be controlled by using different technological parameters and different additives. In this paper, microstructure and dielectrical properties of Er2O3 doped BaTiO3-ceramics, sintered from 1320 °C to 1380 °C have been investigated. Microstructural investigations were carried out using scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer. Grain size distribution was determined by quantitative metallography method.

The new correlation between microstructure and dielectric properties of doped BaTiO3-ceramics, based on fractal geometry and contact surface probability, has been developed. Using the fractals and statistics of the grains contact surface, a reconstruction of microstructure configurations, as grains shapes or intergranular contacts, has been successfully done. Obtained results indicated that fractal analysis and statistics model for contact surfaces of different shapes were very important for the prognosis of BaTiO3-ceramics microstructure and dielectric properties.

The morphology of ceramics grains pointed out the validity of developing new structure analytical methods, based on different grains’ shape geometries. The grains contact model based on ellipsoidal geometry is presented as new modeling tool for structure research of BaTiO3-ceramics materials. The directions of possible materials properties prognosis are determined according to the correlations synthesis–structure–property.The statistical approach to the investigation of BaTiO3-ceramic grains concerning the relationship between the temperature and the area of the contact surface is also introduced.