Study on the structure and electrical behaviour of zinc aluminate ceramics irradiated with gamma radiation

The preparation process of zinc aluminate (ZnAl2 O4) ceramic powder, as well as the sintering temperature have been consequently governed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. A broad exothermic peak in the range 223-310 deg. C is observed due to the crystallization of ZnAl2O4 powder. Then the final resultant powder was irradiated with gamma rays at different doses from 30 to 150 kGy. The effect of gamma irradiation on the structure and the electrical behaviour of ZnAl2O4 ceramics has been obtained. The induced changes in the structure have been studied via SEM, XRD and FTIR spectrometers. The obtained results reveal no changes in the spinel phase of ZnAl2O4, while some displacements of the constituent individual atoms for the irradiated samples are observed. The I-V characteristic curves and the dielectric properties of the prepared ceramic powder have been measured for unirradiated and irradiated samples. These curves exhibit nonlinearity of this type of ceramics, where the dc current gradually increases with the increase in the dose. The irradiation of ZnAl2O4 with gamma radiation was found to increase the nonlinearity of the I-V curves. The dielectric constant and loss were found to decrease as the dose increases. Therefore, the irradiation of ZnAl2O4 with gamma rays can improve its utility as an electronic protector in electrical circuits against sudden overvoltage