The origin of hysteresis in the electrical behavior of RuO2-glass composite melts

The main goal of the present work is to unveil the nature of phenomena related to the so-called hysteresis response in the electrical conductivity of RuO2-glass composites melts. Therefore, a set of sodium-calcium borosilicate glasses with different RuO2 contents is synthesized and characterized by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrical properties of these composites are assessed by impedance spectroscopy using low (glassy state) and high temperature (melt) measurements. Glass composites with RuO2 content lower than similar to 1% mol. present an ion-conducting behavior while samples with RuO2 content higher than similar to 1% mol. show a predominant metal-like conductivity. The hysteresis event is only observed for RuO2-containing glasses and gets more pronounced as the RuO2 concentration is increased. On the other hand, the hysteresis behavior seems to take place mostly where the ionic conductivity is dominant. Herein, a hypothesis that fulfills all the observed characteristics of this hysteresis phenomenon is proposed.

Automated summary

The present work aims to unveil the nature of hysteresis response in the electrical conductivity of RuO2-glass composites melts. Experimental results show that the RuO2 content significantly affects the type of electrical conductivity, with hysteresis behavior mainly observed in regions where ionic conductivity is dominant.