https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-02010-w
Regular Article
Improving the functional properties of locally sourced porcelain insulators by heat treating and adding SnO2 nanoparticles
1
Engineering Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt
2
Bilbis Higher Institute of Engineering (BHIE), Bilbis, Sharqia, Egypt
Received:
14
July
2021
Accepted:
29
September
2021
Published online:
8
October
2021
In the present work, we fabricated and studied the characterization of the industrial porcelain insulators using local Egyptian raw materials: Aswan Kalabsha ball clay, kaolin, feldspar from the Red Sea, and Zafarana quartz. Additionally, the chemical compositions of these local raw materials were studied. Porcelain samples were prepared using the conventional ceramic method, and different proportions of SnO2 nanoparticles were added to the porcelain preparation procedures. The dies produced from the standard batch were heat treated at different temperatures (900 °C–1200 °C). The effect of adding different proportions of SnO2 nanoparticles on the physical properties, including the bulk density, porosity, and water absorption as well as the electrical properties (mainly the dielectric constant, loss tangent and dielectric loss factor), of porcelain was determined as the functions of temperature. An improvement in the dielectric properties was achieved by increasing the percentage of SnO2 nanoparticles addition. The fired porcelain bodies were better than when they were sintered at a lower temperature. When the dielectric constant decreased, the AC resistivity increased, and thus, the dielectric loss decreased, which are useful features for many technological applications.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
