A novel MnCoNiCuZnO5 complex-phase ceramic for negative temperature coefficient thermistors

High-entropy oxides have received a lot of attention from domestic and foreign researchers because of their simple structure and excellent property. Based on the idea of high entropy composition, we designed and synthesized a novel thermistor material, MnCoNiCuZnO5 in this work. The oxide contains a complex phase structure, consisting of a cubic spinel structure and a rock-salt structure. The complex-phase ceramic, compared with other Cu-containing oxides, exhibits high thermal stability. The aging coefficient (ΔR/R0) of the complex-phase ceramic reaches 1.16% at 125 °C for 800 h, which can be ascribed to the stabilizing effect of entropy. The successful fabrication of this complex-phase ceramic opens a new route to enhance the thermal stability of the material.