Temperature Dependence of Electrical Condutivity in Polycrystalline Tin Oxide

The electrical conductivity of polycrystalline SnO 2 in air was measured between 400° and 1400°C using samples prepared by hot isostatic pressing and normal sintering. The apparent activation energy for conduction above 800°C was 1.3 to 1.4 eV in the hot isostatically pressed sample and 1.9 to 2.0 eV in the normally sintered sample. This difference can be interpreted as a result of the pore contributing an additional blocking effect to conduction. Also we found that the electrical conductivity above 1150°C bent down slightly from the linear regime when using a cumulative slope model.