Advances in the synthesis of ZnO nanomaterials for varistor devices

作者:Pillai Suresh C*; Kelly John M; Ramesh Raghavendra; McCormack Declan E
来源:Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2013, 1(20): 3268-3281.
DOI:10.1039/c3tc00575e

摘要

ZnO based varistors are widely used for overvoltage protection in many electrical and electronic circuits, at voltages ranging from a few to over a million volts. By careful control of the microstructure, through nano-structuring by chemical routes, it should be possible to produce varistors with high breakdown voltage (V-C), as this is proportional to the number of active grain boundaries in the sintered body. This property is particularly important for the production of the small-sized varistors needed for modern electronic instruments such as tablet computers and mobile phones. The current review will outline the recent advances in the chemical processing (e.g. sol-gel, combustion synthesis plasma pyrolysis, micro-emulsion synthesis and precipitation routes) of varistors from ZnO nanomaterials and the properties of these materials. Uncontrolled grain growth at higher temperature is highlighted as a major challenge for obtaining desirable electrical properties for nano-varistors. Various novel sintering techniques such as step-sintering, spark plasma and microwave sintering methods are expected to deliver a varistor with controlled grain growth and optimum electrical characteristics.

  • 出版日期2013