**Meet the editor**

Dr. Md. Kawsar Alam is an Associate Professor with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He obtained his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of British Columbia (Vancouver), Canada in 2011. He has authored more than 40 scientific articles including a book chapter and

leads the Nanoscale Science and Technology Research Group at BUET. His research areas lie within the intersection of applied physics, electronics, and materials science. His current research interests include Materials Science, Nanoscale Device Modeling and Simulation, Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS), Photovoltaic Devices, Ab-initio Modeling and Simulation, Molecular Dynamics, Charged Particle Interaction with Nano-materials, Electron Emission Properties of Nanostructures, and Monte Carlo Simulation.

Contents

**Preface VII**

**Materials 3** Md. Kawsar Alam

Chapter 1 **Introductory Chapter: Electrical and Electronic Properties of**

**Section 2 Properties of Porous Compacts, Polyesters and Ceramics 9**

Juan Manuel Montes, Francisco Gómez Cuevas, Jesús Cintas, Fátima

Chapter 2 **Electrical Resistivity of Powdered Porous Compacts 11**

Ternero and Eduardo Sánchez Caballero

Chapter 4 **Breakdown Characteristics of Varistor Ceramics 59** Jianying Li, Kangning Wu and Yuwei Huang

**Section 3 Measurement Methods and Extraction Techniques 81**

**the Dielectric Properties of Materials 83** Turgut Ozturk and Muhammet Tahir Güneşer

Chapter 5 **Measurement Methods and Extraction Techniques to Obtain**

Chapter 3 **Electrical Properties of Polyesters 35** Wieslawa Urbaniak-Domagala

**Section 1 Introduction 1**

## Contents

**Preface XI**

Md. Kawsar Alam


#### **Section 2 Properties of Porous Compacts, Polyesters and Ceramics 9**


Preface

Materials are broadly categorized as metals, insulators, or semiconductors. They are the basic building blocks of today's technologies. Modern science and technology requires control over the properties of materials so that they may be applied to different applications. The multidisciplina‐ ry nature of the materials science has attracted researchers from all sorts of fields and led to the discovery of many novel materials as well as the concept of man-made meta-materials. To name a few among the vast classes of materials: crystalline, polycrystalline, dielectrics, polymers, ceram‐ ics, superconductors etc. are widely used. Thus, when the IntechOpen editors invited a proposal

This book is not an introduction to materials science or properties, rather it is an advanced level book on the properties of metal powder systems, polyesters, and varistor ceramics. It requires knowledge of applied physics, electronics, and some engineering. There are five chapters and the first one, the introductory chapter, summarizes the content of the contributed chapters. Among them, there is one contributed chapter on the measurement methods and extraction techniques that are employed to inherit the dielectric properties of dielectric materials. The con‐ tributed chapters have been selected from more than twenty proposals. The targeted audience of this book is senior undergraduate and graduate students. We believe that the contributions would be of interest to physicists, chemists, and of course to material scientists and engineers. Chapter 2 discusses different models of electrical resistivity of powdered porous compacts. The proposed empirical models are compared with experimental data where necessary to justify the modeling parameters. Chapter 3 answers one interesting phenomenon: how polyester behaves under a DC field? The potential of changing the innate electroinsulating properties of polyester to impart electroconductive and antistatic properties is also investigated in this book. Chapter 4 presents the properties of varistor ceramics under different doping mechanisms. The ultimate goal is to improve the breakdown characteristics of the ceramics, which has applications in power systems and protection circuits. The last chapter focuses on different measurement methods and parameter extraction techniques. Comparison between different techniques has been made and the prospects of free space measurement method in measuring material proper‐

During the editing of this volume, I have received full support from IntechOpen that I must ac‐ knowledge, and encouragement from my colleagues, directly or indirectly. I would like to special‐ ly mention one graduate student's name, Ms. Mahnaz Islam, who has helped me in finalizing the introductory chapter. I would also like to thank my other research group members and express deep gratitude to my family without whose support this book would not have been possible.

**Md. Kawsar Alam**

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology

for a book project, it was natural for me to propose one on the properties of materials.

ties in THz frequency range are discussed.

## Preface

Materials are broadly categorized as metals, insulators, or semiconductors. They are the basic building blocks of today's technologies. Modern science and technology requires control over the properties of materials so that they may be applied to different applications. The multidisciplina‐ ry nature of the materials science has attracted researchers from all sorts of fields and led to the discovery of many novel materials as well as the concept of man-made meta-materials. To name a few among the vast classes of materials: crystalline, polycrystalline, dielectrics, polymers, ceram‐ ics, superconductors etc. are widely used. Thus, when the IntechOpen editors invited a proposal for a book project, it was natural for me to propose one on the properties of materials.

This book is not an introduction to materials science or properties, rather it is an advanced level book on the properties of metal powder systems, polyesters, and varistor ceramics. It requires knowledge of applied physics, electronics, and some engineering. There are five chapters and the first one, the introductory chapter, summarizes the content of the contributed chapters. Among them, there is one contributed chapter on the measurement methods and extraction techniques that are employed to inherit the dielectric properties of dielectric materials. The con‐ tributed chapters have been selected from more than twenty proposals. The targeted audience of this book is senior undergraduate and graduate students. We believe that the contributions would be of interest to physicists, chemists, and of course to material scientists and engineers.

Chapter 2 discusses different models of electrical resistivity of powdered porous compacts. The proposed empirical models are compared with experimental data where necessary to justify the modeling parameters. Chapter 3 answers one interesting phenomenon: how polyester behaves under a DC field? The potential of changing the innate electroinsulating properties of polyester to impart electroconductive and antistatic properties is also investigated in this book. Chapter 4 presents the properties of varistor ceramics under different doping mechanisms. The ultimate goal is to improve the breakdown characteristics of the ceramics, which has applications in power systems and protection circuits. The last chapter focuses on different measurement methods and parameter extraction techniques. Comparison between different techniques has been made and the prospects of free space measurement method in measuring material proper‐ ties in THz frequency range are discussed.

During the editing of this volume, I have received full support from IntechOpen that I must ac‐ knowledge, and encouragement from my colleagues, directly or indirectly. I would like to special‐ ly mention one graduate student's name, Ms. Mahnaz Islam, who has helped me in finalizing the introductory chapter. I would also like to thank my other research group members and express deep gratitude to my family without whose support this book would not have been possible.

> **Md. Kawsar Alam** Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology Dhaka, Bangladesh

**Section 1**

**Introduction**

**Section 1**
