Effect of varying the ratio of matrix/dispersoid particle size on the piezoresistivity of alumina/carbon-black composite ceramics

Alumina/carbon-black composite ceramics with different percolation thresholds were fabricated by changing the size ratio of constituent particles. The dependence of resistivity on pressure was established for each sample. The compositional dependence of resistivity can be explained by percolation theory. The percolation threshold decreases with increasing alumina/carbon-black particle size ratio. The pressure dependence of the resistivity increases as the composition approaches the percolation threshold. When the relative composition at the percolation threshold is fixed, the sensitivity increases with increasing matrix/dispersoid initial particle size ratio.