Abstract
The diffusion of silver, Ag, as the electrode material in (Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3 (BNT) ceramic was studied by means of a secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The Ag diffusion along the grain boundary was confirmed. The diffusion coefficient of Ag in BNT is almost equal to that of Pb-based ceramics. The intergranular fracture is considered to be associated with the grain boundary diffusion of Ag. The apparent diffusion coefficients of Ag were obtained using SEM images of cross sections after Ag diffusion. The temperature dependence of Ag apparent diffusion in BNT ceramics was described by 2.3 × 10−3 cm2/s of pre-exponential factor and 132.2 kJ/mol of the activation energy in the temperature range of 700–900°C as diffusion treatment.
