Dielectric behavior and ac conductivity study of NiO/Al2O3 nanocomposites in humid atmosphere

Humidity sensing characteristics of NiO/Al2O3 nanocomposites, prepared by sol-gel method, are studied by impedance spectroscopy. Modeling of the obtained impedance spectra with an appropriate equivalent circuit enables us to separate the electrical responses of the tightly bound chemisorbed water molecules on the grain surfaces and the loosely associated physisorbed water layers. Dependence of the dielectric properties and ac conductivity of the nanocomposites on relative humidity (RH) were studied as a function of the frequency of the applied ac signal in the frequency range of 0.1-10(5) Hz. The electrical relaxation behavior of the investigated materials is presented in the conductivity formalism, where the conductivity spectra at different RHs are analyzed by the Almond-West formalism [D. P. Almond , Solid State Ionics 8, 159 (1983)]. The dc conductivity and the hopping rate of charge carriers, determined from this analysis, show similar dependences on RH, indicating that the concentration of mobile ions is independent of RH and is primarily determined by the chemisorption process of water molecules. Finally, the results are discussed in view of a percolation-type conduction mechanism, where mobile ions are provided by the chemisorbed water molecules and the percolation network is formed by the physisorbed water layers. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.