Effect of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes on Electrical and Dielectric Properties of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Ceramic

MWCNT/3Y‐TZP (3 mol% yttria‐stabilized tetragonal polycrystalline zirconia) composites with different multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) contents were prepared by the spark plasma sintering technique. The effect of MWCNT addition on the electrical and dielectric properties of the composites at room temperature was studied. The experimental results showed that the DC conductivity of the composites demonstrated a typical percolation behavior with a very low percolation threshold between 1.0 and 2.0 wt% MWCNT content, and the dielectric constant was greatly increased when the MWCNT concentration was close to the percolation threshold, which was attributed to dielectric relaxation, the space charge polarization effect, and the percolation effect.