Electrical Conduction of

Polycrystalline Ceramic
What is polycrystalline ceramic?

Polycrystalline ceramics are solids in which the atoms or ions are

arranged in regular arrays.
Polycrystalline ceramics have no glassy components. All of the atoms are
densely packed into regular arrays that are much more difficult to drive a
crack through than atoms in the less dense and irregular network found in
glasses.
Polycrystalline ceramics are generally much tougher and stronger than
glassy ceramics.
Polycrystalline Ceramic properties

 Doesn’t contain glass phase at all, usually made from alumina or

zirconia oxide.
 Very low thermal conductivity
 Flexural strength ~900Mpa
 Fracture toughness 8-10Mpa.m^2
 High fracture resistance
 Basic difference between crystalline and
polycrystalline
 • Polycrystalline solids are composed of many numbers of crystalline solids.

 • Crystalline solids or crystals have ordered structures and symmetry, but, in a

polycrystalline structure, the long-range order has been disrupted.

 • Crystalline structure is uniform and has no boundaries, but polycrystalline

structure differs from this. It does not have a continuous structure, and it has
boundaries between grains.

 • Crystalline structure is hard to produce, and it is rare in nature in contrast to

polycrystalline structure.
Electrical conduction of Polycrystal

The conductivity characteristics of ceramic systems usually result

from contributions of several phases present these include porosity
low conductivity semiconductors (appreciable conductivity), glasses
(having an appreciable conductivity at high temperatures), and
insulating crystals low conductivity.
Application

 Transparent polycrystalline ceramics are used in laser application.

 Polycrystalline ceramics are used in dental products.
 Polycrystalline ceramics are popular dielectric material.