Temperature-frequency dependent electrical properties of tin oxide-titania based capacitive electronic component

A composite ceramic electronic component of tin (IV) oxide (SnO2)–titanium (IV) oxide (TiO2) is developed via a cost-efficient standard solid-state synthesis technique. The comprehensive discussions about crystallographic structure, surface morphology, and electrical characterizations along with the impedance spectroscopy across a broad range of temperature (35–400 °C) and frequency (1 kHz–1 MHz) of the prepared sample (Sn0.5Ti0.5)O2 have been evaluated and analyzed to ascertain the material as a capacitive electronic element. The crystallographic polycrystalline tetragonal structure and hydrophilic porous nature with uniformly distributed grains are realized from XRD and SEM micrograph. The dielectric effect with substantially low dielectric loss (εr of 32,000 and tangent loss of 14.2 at 400 °C and 1 kHz frequency) and hydrophilic nature delineate the key feature of this ceramic. The impedance spectroscopy study under a broad temperature and frequency range reveal the enhanced capacitive behavior. The mechanism of conduction is deliberated from the frequency-dependent conductivity study at various temperatures. The realization of grain as well as grain boundary effect in the fabricated sample has been displayed through the Nyquist spectrum. The nature of non-Debye relaxation mechanism is established through an electric modulus study. The effect of compaction pressure and silver electrode coating on dielectric characteristics has also been investigated. The experimental study presents the use of this prepared ceramic element for designing as a lumped capacitive electronic component for humidity sensor device applications.