A novel modification technology to achieve BaTiO3 conductive powders by Sm penetration at low temperatures

Abstract Rare earth penetration technology was adopted to achieve BaTiO 3 conductive powders. The effects of the penetration temperature on the resistivity, phase composition and microstructure were investigated. The results indicated the variation trend of the resistivity at lower temperatures ( 800 °C), Moreover, the resistivity of Sm-penetrated BaTiO 3 powders at 600 °C (SBT-T1) was surprisingly low (2.41×10 −1  Ω m), which can be a superior candidate for electronic application. Sm 3+ cations have been penetrated into BaTiO 3 powders effectively and Ba 2+ has been replaced by Sm 3 + according to XRD and XPS analysis. It was the homogeneous morphology of SBT-T1 powders and the highest content of Sm 3+ cations that led to its lowest resistivity. Based on the experiments, the Sm-penetration process also has been discussed.