Small angle neutron scattering investigation and the low frequency dielectric response of sintered ZrO2-8 mol% Y2O3 ceramic compacts:: the effect of pore characteristics

The effect of the pore structure on the low frequency (0.01-100 kHz) dielectric response of sintered ZrO2-8 mol% Y2O3 ceramic compacts has been investigated. Pore characteristics such as the pore size distribution, specific surface area and pore morphology have been estimated by means of small angle neutron scattering (SANS). It has been observed that both the real and the imaginary parts of the complex-dielectric permittivity for the specimens depend not only on the porosity but also on the pore characteristics, significantly. Unlike in the normal Debye relaxation process, the imaginary part of the dielectric constant increases in the lower frequency region. The variation in the dielectric response is explained by a pore structure dependent interfacial polarization, ion hopping-and conduction.