Conducting perovskite LaNi0.6Co0.4O3 ceramics with glass additions

Abstract

LaNi0.6Co0.4O3 (LNC) is a perovskite-type conducting ceramic oxide, which is an ideal electrode layer for perovskite ferroelectric and piezoelectric thin and thick film devices, owing to its unique crystal structure that can facilitate film growth and improve fatigue behavior. When used for thick films, however, one of the drawbacks is its high sintering temperature of above 1200°C, which can lead to severe inter-diffusion. In an attempt to reduce the sintering temperature of LNC without substantially deteriorating the electrical properties, we have investigated the effects of doping LNC with an appropriate glass addition. LNC powder was synthesized through a solid state reaction process. Varying amounts of glass compositions were then introduced, in order to study their effects on densification, microstructure and electrical properties of LNC. The glass compositions exhibited a strong effect on the sintering behaviors and microstructure, where the density after sintering was improved with increasing amount of glass addition. While the electrical conductivity was adversely affected by an increasing amount of glass addition, the composition with optimal glass addition showed a lowered sintering temperature of 950°C, and at the same time maintained a high conductivity of 117 S cm-1. © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2006.