Investigation of the role of yttrium sesquioxide nanoparticles on the properties of zinc oxide ceramics

Abstract In this work, zinc oxide ( ZnO ) ceramics were synthesized containing 0-5wt% of cubic yttrium sesquioxide ( Y 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles with solid state sintering technique at 1150°C. The secondary phase of Y 2 O 3 did not enter into the crystalline zinc oxide. The Y 2 O 3 acts as an inhibitor of grain growth. The absorption of the free charge carriers by the Y 2 O 3 phase influences the infrared transmissions. The minimization of the phase mismatch while transferring the electric signal caused lower losses when Y 2 O 3 was added to the zinc oxide matrices. The presence of the cubic sesquioxide at the grain boundary contributes to the interfacial polarization at lower frequencies when an alternating field is applied to the ceramics. These properties are anticipated to show a wider range of physical, optical and dielectric properties of ZnO : Y ceramics for optoelectronic applications.