Non-ohmic IV behaviour of random metal-insulator composites near their percolation threshold

abstract

• A large increase in electrical conductivity has been observed when a direct current voltage is applied to random metal-insulator composites near their percolation threshold. This reversible non-ohmic I-V behaviour, which is similar to that observed in zinc oxide varistors, has been studied in three metal/insulator systems including silver particles in a matrix of potassium chloride, and two different systems of nickel particles in a matrix of polypropylene. These composites have all been prepared by mechanically mixing metal particles with an insulator host in predetermined volume fractions. A physical model with a semi-phenomenological equation has been proposed to describe this non-ohmic I-V behaviour. The non-ohmic effect is postulated to arise from a localized reversible dielectric breakdown between narrowly separated metal clusters in the metal/insulator composite. 1992 Chapman & Hall.

authors

• Johnson, William

published proceedings

• Journal of Materials Science

author list (cited authors)

• Chen, I., & Johnson, W. B.

citation count

• 14

complete list of authors

• Chen, In-Gann||Johnson, WB

publication date

• January 1992

publisher

• Springer Nature  Publisher

published in

• Journal of Materials Science  Journal

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1007/bf00541611

start page

• 5497

end page

• 5503

volume

• 27

issue

• 20

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00541611