Grain Size Effects of SnO2 Varistor Induced by Doping Pr

The effects of Pr on the microstructure and nonlinear electrical properties of the (Co,Ta)-doped SnO2 varistors were investigated. It was found by characterizing the samples sintered at 1350 oC that the breakdown voltage increases significantly from 500v/mm to 1200v/mm, and the relative permittivity decreased rapidly from 2525 to 1199 with increasing Pr6O11 concentration from 0 to 1.20 mol%. The analysis of samples’ microscopic structure showed that the grain size of SnO2 rapidly decreases from 5.1 to 3.7 µm with increasing Pr6O11 concentration from 0 to 1.20mol% .The significant decrease of SnO2 grain size is the main reason for raising breakdown voltage and reducing permittivity.