Positive temperature coefficient of resistivity effect in Pb-doped KnbO3

Abstract

KnbO3 is a ferroelectric material with a Curie temperature (TC) at 415°C, thus giving it the potential to be a material for high-temperature positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) applications. In this study, we investigated the PTCR effect in donor-doped KnbO3 ceramics containing 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mol% PbO. The donor-doped KnbO3 ceramics exhibited a PTCR anomaly with a relatively low room-temperature resistivity. The temperature of the tetragonal-to-cubic phase transition (TC) of the KnbO3 decreased with the amount of added PbO, while the orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition (TOT) remained unchanged.