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

Rare earth penetration technology was adopted to achieve BaTiO₃ 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) was quite different from that at higher temperatures (>800 °C), Moreover, the resistivity of Sm-penetrated BaTiO₃ powders at 600 °C (SBT-T1) was surprisingly low (2.41×10^-1 Ω m), which can be a superior candidate for electronic application. Sm³⁺ cations have been penetrated into BaTiO₃ powders effectively and Ba²⁺ has been replaced by Sm³⁺ according to XRD and XPS analysis. It was the homogeneous morphology of SBT-T1 powders and the highest content of Sm³⁺ cations that led to its lowest resistivity. Based on the experiments, the Sm-penetration process also has been discussed.