Impedance spectroscopy on ceramic materials at high temperatures, considering stray fields and electromagnetic noise

Impedance spectroscopy of many ceramics is a challenge due to their high electrical resistance. Small disturbances can significantly alter the measuring results. In the present paper, it is shown how impedance measurements can be performed in an electromagnetically noisy ac furnace, using consequent Faraday shielding of the sample and the electrical connections. As example, the conductivity data of alumina was measured between room temperature and 1000 °C and compared to literature data. In addition, a correction method for the calculation of permittivity was developed to consider the stray fields in the sample-electrode setup. The distribution of the electrical field was simulated by finite element (FE) methods for different sample geometries and electrode arrangements. The deviations from the behavior of an ideal plate capacitor follow a linear trend and are in the order of 5% to 20% for an experimentally reasonable range of sample thicknesses. To check the theoretical results experimentally, alumina samples of varying thickness were measured. The customary calculation of permittivity leads to a clear trend with sample thickness, whereas the correction from the FE-simulation produces almost constant values of the relative permittivity.