Impedance Spectroscopy – comparison of experimental ceramic results with model parameters

Abstract

Impedance spectroscopy is a non-destructive test method belonging to the group of electrical engineering measurements. The method is suitable for monitoring the quality of building materials even with low conductivity. Although the method focuses on the intrinsic conductivity of systems, most IS techniques, including data analysis methods, conceive of the material in terms of a lossy dielectric. In selecting the material for testing with the IS method, an attempt was made to bring the IS capabilities as close as possible to practical, real-world materials. This paper is devoted to a comparison of the impedance characteristics of ceramics with three types of dielectric models that are described in theory or referenced in the literature. The ceramic samples were fabricated using different material additions, such as bentonite, phosphoric acid, or sodium water glass. Experimental curves of the loss factor versus frequency for all samples are described and then approximations of selected samples are shown successively for all three models considered. Experimental results were obtained from more than 50 points in each characterization. Measurements were performed for frequencies from 40 Hz to 1 MHz.