The study of dielectric relaxation and glass forming tendency in Cd-Se-Te glassy system

The dielectric relaxation spectroscopes of Cd_xSe_70−xTe₃₀ (where x = 0, 5, 7, 10) alloy have been investigated in the temperature range 298-373 K and in the frequency range 100 Hz to 100 kHz near the percolation threshold. The frequency and temperature dependence on the dielectric constant showed a Debye dielectric relaxation process. Using Debye relation, the dielectric constant (?′), the most probable relaxation time (τ) and the barrier height (W) were estimated for binary ternary chalcogenide systems.In addition, the analysis of the results suggests that the effect of Cd content on electronic conduction of the system. The experimental results support to some extent the above criterion in the case of Cd-Se-Te ternary alloy.     

Structural study of aqueous solutions of tetrahydrofuran and acetone mixtures using dielectric relaxation technique

The complex permittivity, static dielectric constant and relaxation time for tetrahydrofuran-water and acetone-water mixtures have been determined at 0°, 10°, 25° and 35°C using time domain reflectometry technique (TDR). The behaviour of relaxation time of the mixture shows a maxima for the mixture with 30% of water by volume. This suggests that the tendency to form cluster between water and solute molecule is maximum for this mixture. The excess permittivity for both tetrahydrofuran-water mixture and acetone-water mixtures, are found to be negative. The Kirkwood correlation factor has been determined at various concentrations of water. Static dielectric constant for the mixtures have been fitted well with the modified Bruggeman model. The values of the Bruggeman parametera for tetrahydrofuran is found to be more than the corresponding value for acetone.     

The dielectric relaxation study of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol-water mixtures using time domain reflectometry

Complex permittivity spectra of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol-water mixtures for the entire concentration range and at 25 °C have been measured using time domain reflectometry technique up to 30 GHz. The relaxation processes have been obtained by fitting the complex permittivity spectra of the binary mixtures in 2-Debye equation. In glycol ether-water mixtures except for pure water and its rich region the double relaxation times, primary process (τ₁) and secondary process (τ₂) have been observed. The primary relaxation process (τ₁) may be due to cooperative relaxation of the H-bond network of mixture constituents and the secondary relaxation process (τ₂) may be due to its flexible parts attached to the carbon chain. The intra and intermolecular hydrogen bonding of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol in pure form as well as in binary mixtures of water have been discussed using Kirkwood correlation factor, Excess dielectric properties and the Bruggeman factor.     

Study of heterogeneous interaction in binary mixtures of 2-methoxyethanol-water using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy

The dielectric relaxation measurements on binary mixtures of 2-methoxyethanol with water have been carried out over entire concentrations and at temperature range of 0 °C to 25 °C using a picosecond time domain reflectometry technique. The complex dielectric permittivity spectra of 2-methoxyethanol/water mixtures were fitted using Havriliak-Negami equation. The static dielectric constant and relaxation time for all concentrations were obtained using least square fit method. The principal relaxation time is small if compared to that of corresponding alcohol/water mixtures this may be due to the hydrogen bonding ether oxygen in the 2-ME-water system. Excess dielectric properties, Kirkwood correlation factor, thermodynamic properties and Bruggeman factor are also determined and the results are interpreted in terms of heterogeneous interactions among the unlike molecules due to hydrogen bonding.     

Dielectric relaxation study of ascorbic acid solutions in pure dimethylsulfoxide (or diethylsulfoxide) and in dimethylsulfoxide (or diethylsulfoxide)/water mixtures

The complex dielectric spectra of ascorbic acid solutions in pure dimethylsulfoxide (or diethylsulfoxide) and in dimethylsulfoxide (or diethylsulfoxide)/water mixtures have been measured at frequencies between 100 MHz and 20 GHz at 298.15 K.Two kinds of dielectric relaxation processes were observed in each solution. The low frequency relaxation (Debye term) is assigned to solute. The high frequency relaxation (Cole-Davidson term) is ascribed to practically unaffected solvent.From the results obtained it follows that relaxation time and relaxation strength in DESO containing solutions (i.e. binary AA/DESO and ternary AA/DESO/water systems) are greater than those in DMSO containing solutions.     

Thermodynamic investigations of ternary o-toluidine + tetrahydropyran + N,N-dimethylformamide mixture and its binaries at 298.15, 303.15 and 308.15 K

The densities ρ, speed of sound u, data of o-toluidine (i) + tetrahydropyran (j) + N,N-dimethylformamide (k) and its {tetrahydropyran (j) + N,N-dimethylformamide (k); o-toluidine (i) + N,N-dimethylformamide (k)} binaries have been measured as a function of composition at 298.15, 303.15 and 308.15 K. The excess molar enthalpies, H^E data of same set of binary mixtures have also been measured over entire composition at 308.15 K. The densities and speeds of sound data of binary and ternary mixtures have been utilized to determine their excess molar volumes, V^E and excess isentropic compressibilities, κ_S^E. The observed thermodynamic properties of binary and ternary mixtures have been analyzed in terms of Graph theory. It has been observed that Graph theory correctly predicts the sign as well as magnitude of thermodynamic properties.     

Effect of nickel doping on structural, optical and electrical properties of TiO2 nanoparticles by sol-gel method

Nickel-doped anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles have been prepared by sol-gel method. The X-ray powder diffraction study reveals that all the prepared samples have pure anatase phase tetragonal system. The average crystallite size of the prepared sample is 14 nm, when found through transmission electron microscope. A strong frequency dependence of both dielectric constant (?′) and dielectric loss (tan δ) were observed for various dopant levels at room temperature in the frequency range of 42 Hz to 5 MHz. At low frequency, the piling up of mobile charge carriers at the grain boundary produces interfacial polarization giving rise to high dielectric constant. The asymmetric shape of frequency dependence of the dielectric loss for the primary relaxation process is observed for each concentration. From the ac conductivity studies, the reduction in conductivity may arise due to the decreasing particle with the increase in Ni-dopant level.     

Relaxor behavior of (Ba,Sr)(Zr,Ti)O3 ferroelectric ceramics

We examine the ferroelectric-relaxor behavior of (Ba_0.65Sr_0.35)(Zr_0.35Ti_0.65)O₃ (BSZT) ceramics in the temperature range from 80 to 380 K. A broad dielectric maximum, which shifts to higher temperature with increasing frequency, signifies the relaxor-type behavior of these ceramics. The value of the relaxation parameter γ∼2 estimated from the linear fit of the modified Curie-Weiss law, indicates the relaxor nature of the BSZT ceramics. The dielectric relaxation rate follows the Vogel-Fulcher relation with T_VF=107 K, E_a=0.121 eV, and ν₀=6.83×10¹⁴ Hz, further supports such relaxor nature. The slim P-E hysteresis loop and ‘butterfly’ shape dc bias field dependence of permittivity at T>T_m (T_m, the temperature of permittivity maximum) clearly signifies the occurrence of nanopolar clusters, which is the typical characteristic of ferroelectric relaxor. At 300 K and 10 kHz, the dielectric constant and loss tan δ are ∼1100 and 0.0015, respectively. The high tunability (∼25%) and figure of merit (∼130) at room temperature show that the BSZT ceramics could be a promising candidate for tunable capacitor applications.     

AC conductivity and dielectric relaxation in Ba(Sm1/2Nb1/2)O3 ceramic

The complex perovskite oxide a barium samarium niobate (BSN) synthesized by solid-state reaction technique has single phase with cubic structure. The scanning electron micrograph of the sample shows the average grain size of BSN∼1.22 μm. The field dependence of dielectric response and loss tangent were measured in the temperature range from 323 to 463 K and in the frequency range from 50 Hz to 1 MHz. The complex plane impedance plots show the grain boundary contribution for higher value of dielectric constant in the low frequency region. An analysis of the dielectric constant (ε′) and loss tangent (tan δ) with frequency was performed assuming a distribution of relaxation times as confirmed by the scaling behaviour of electric modulus spectra. The low frequency dielectric dispersion corresponds to DC conductivity. The logarithmic angular frequency dependence of the loss peak is found to obey the Arrhenius law with an activation energy of 0.71 eV. The frequency dependence of electrical data is also analyzed in the framework of conductivity and electric modulus formalisms. Both these formalisms show qualitative similarities in relaxation times. The scaling behaviour of imaginary part of electric modulus M″ and dielectric loss spectra suggest that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at various temperatures in BSN. All the observations indicate the polydispersive relaxation in BSN.     

Influence of sintering conditions and doping on the dielectric relaxation originating from the surface layer effects in CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics

Detailed investigations into the dielectric dispersion phenomenon in the giant dielectric constant material CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) around room temperature revealed the existence of two successive dielectric relaxations. In the temperature domain, a new dielectric relaxation was clearly observed around 250 K, in addition to the well-investigated dielectric relaxation close to 100 K. The effect of sintering and doping (La³⁺) on the strength of these dielectric relaxations were studied in detail. The sintering temperature as well as its duration was found to have tremendous influence on the dielectric relaxation that was encountered around 250 K. This Maxwell-Wagner (M-W) type of relaxation was found to be originating from the surface layer containing the Cu-rich phase, which was ascribed to the difference in the oxygen content between the surface and the interior of the sample. Interestingly, this particular additional relaxation was not observed in La_2/3Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂, a low dielectric constant member of the CCTO family, in which the segregation of Cu-rich phase on the surface was absent. Indeed the correlation between the new relaxation and the presence of Cu-rich phase in CCTO ceramics was further corroborated by the absence of the same after removing the top and bottom layers.     

Dielectric parameters in Se70Te30 and Se70Te28Zn2 chalcogenide glasses

Temperature and frequency dependence of dielectric constant (ε′) and dielectric loss (ε″) are studied in glassy Se₇₀Te₃₀ and Se₇₀Te₂₈Zn₂. The measurements have been made in the frequency range (8-500 kHz) and in the temperature range 300 to 350 K. An analysis of the dielectric loss data shows that the Guintini's theory of dielectric dispersion based on two-electron hopping over a potential barrier is applicable in the present case.No dielectric loss peak is observed in glassy Se₇₀Te₃₀. However, such loss peaks exist in the glassy Se₇₀Te₂₈Zn₂ in the above frequency and temperature range. The Cole-Cole diagrams have been used to determine some parameters such as the distribution parameter (α), the macroscopic relaxation time (τ₀), the molecular relaxation time (τ) and the Gibb's free energy for relaxation (ΔF).     

Dielectric relaxation of CdSe nanoparticles

Nanoparticles of cadmium selenide (CdSe) have been synthesized by soft chemical route using mercaptoethanol as a capping agent. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope measurements show that the prepared sample belongs to sphalerite structure with the average particle size of 25 nm. The band gap of the material is found to be 2.1 eV. The photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra of the sample are measured at various excitation wavelengths. The PL spectra appear in the visible region, and the emission feature depends on the wavelength of the excitation. Impedance spectroscopy is applied to investigate the dielectric relaxation of the sample in a temperature range from 323 to 473 K and in a frequency range from 42 Hz to 1.1 MHz. The complex impedance plane plot has been analyzed by an equivalent circuit consisting of two serially connected R-CPE units, each containing a resistance (R) and a constant phase element (CPE). The dielectric relaxation of the sample is investigated in the electric modulus formalism. The temperature dependent relaxation times obey the Arrhenius law. The Havriliak–Negami model is used to investigate the dielectric relaxation mechanism in the sample. The frequency dependent conductivity spectra are found to obey the power law.     

Electrical conductivity and complex electric modulus of titanium doped nickel-zinc ferrites

The samples Ni_1+x−yZn_yTi_x Fe_2−2xO₄; y=0.1, 0.0≤x≤0.5 were prepared in a single-phase spinel structure as indicated from X-ray analysis. Electrical conductivity and dielectric measurements at different temperatures from 300 K to 600 K in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 5 MHz have been analyzed. The relation of conductivity with temperature revealed a semiconductor to semimetallic behavior as Ti⁴⁺ concentration increases. The conduction mechanism depends mainly on the valence exchange between the different metal ions in the same site or in different sites. The dielectric constant as a function of temperature and frequency showed that there is a strong dependence on the compositional parameter x. The electrical modulus has been employed to study the relaxation dynamics of charge carriers. The result indicates the presence of correlation between motions of mobile ion charges. The activation energies extracted from M′(ω) and M″(ω) peaks are found to follow the Arrhenius law. The electrical conductance of the samples found to be dependent on the temperature and frequency.     

Dielectric relaxation and anisotropy of nematic mixture E-24

The dielectric anisotropy and dispersion of the real and imaginary part of permittivity of commercially important nematic mixture E-24 were investigated in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 10 MHz and temperature range 287-328 K. The measurements in nematic phase indicate Debye-type dispersion with relaxation time of 1.07 μs at 313 K and activation energy 41.01 kcal/mol. The results have been explained by assuming the molecular rotation about the long molecular axis under a hindering nematic potential. The dielectric anisotropy Δε is positive and the mean dielectric permittivity falls with rising temperature. Δε is also used to determine the order parameter for varying temperature.     

Dielectric behaviour and hydrogen bond molecular interaction study of formamide-dipolar solvents binary mixtures

The dielectric constant of binary mixtures of formamide with some common dipolar aprotic and protic solvents has been investigated at sixteen molar concentrations over the entire mixing range at 30 °C. The solvents used for binary mixtures with formamide are water, dimethylsulphoxide, N,N-dimethylformamide, acetone, 1,4-dioxane, mono-, di- and trihydric alcohols, and homologous series of 2-alkoxyethanol, 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol, and ethylene glycol oligomers. The concentration dependent plots of excess dielectric constant and Kirkwood correlation factor were used to explore the complexes formed between unlike molecules, the molar ratio of a stable adduct, dipolar ordering, hydrogen-bond molecular connectivities, and their strength in the binary mixtures. Results confirmed that the complexation strength of dipolar aprotic solvents with formamide strongly depends on the value of solvent dielectric constant. The dependence of the hydrogen-bond complexation on number of hydroxyl groups and molecular size of the homologous series of the solvents is recognized from the comparative excess dielectric constant values of the mixed solvents.     

Electrical properties and dielectric relaxation of thermally evaporated zinc phthalocyanine thin films

The electrical transport properties and dielectric relaxation of Au/zinc phthalocyanine, ZnPC/Au devices have been investigated. The DC thermal activation energy at temperature region 400-500 K is 0.78 eV. The dominant conduction mechanisms in the device are ohmic conduction below 1 V and space charge limited conduction dominated by exponential trap distribution in potentials >1 V. Some parameters, such as concentration of thermally generated holes in valence band, the trap concentration per unit energy range at the valence band edge, the total concentration of traps and the temperature parameter characterizing the exponential trap distribution and their relation with temperatures have been determined. The AC electrical conductivity, σ_ac, as a function of temperature and frequency has been investigated. It showed a frequency and temperature dependence of AC conductivity for films in the temperature range 300-400 K. The films conductivity in the temperature range 400-435 K increased with increasing temperature and it shows no response for frequency change. The dominant conduction mechanism is the correlated barrier hopping. The temperature and frequency dependence of real and imaginary dielectric constants and loss tangent were investigated.     

Dielectric relaxation and magnetic field dependent alternating current conductivity of nanocrystalline cadmium-zinc ferrite below room temperature

The dielectric permittivity of nanocrystalline cadmium-zinc ferrite prepared by the ball milling method has been investigated within a temperature range 77≤T≤300 K in presence of a magnetic field up to 1 T and in the frequency range 20 Hz-1 MHz. The dielectric permittivity follows the power law ε^/(f)∝Tⁿ where the temperature exponent ‘n’ is found to be frequency dependent. The dielectric properties of the samples have been analyzed in terms of electric modulus vector. The dielectric relaxation has been explained by interfacial polarization. The variation of the relaxation time with temperature indicates the presence of two different activation energies. The ac magnetoconductivity is positive for the milled sample and becomes negative for the unmilled sample. This behavior can be explained in terms of grain and grain boundary contribution to impedance of the samples.     

Effect of tellurium on electrical and structural properties of sintered silicon nitride ceramics

The effects of tellurium (Te) additives on electrical conductivity, dielectric constant and structural properties of sintered silicon nitride ceramics have been studied. Different amounts of Te (10% and 20%) were added as sintering additives to silicon nitride ceramic powders and sintering was performed. Microstructure and composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrical conductivity and dielectric constant (ε′) increase exponentially with temperature greater than 800 K. The electrical conductivity and dielectric constant increase but activation energy decreases from 0.72 to 0.33 eV with the increase of Te concentration. However, the conductivity increases five orders of magnitude at the concentration of 10% of Te in Si₃N₄. As the Te concentration increases the sintered silicon nitride ceramics become denser. These types of samples can be used as high temperature semiconducting materials.     

Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy of phlogopite mica

An in-depth investigation of the dielectric characteristics of annealed phlogopite mica has been conducted in the frequency range 0.1 Hz–10 MHz and over the temperature range 653–873 K through the framework of dielectric permittivity, electric modulus and conductivity formalisms. These formalisms show qualitative similarities in relaxation processes. The frequency dependence of the M″ and dc conductivity is found to obey an Arrhenius law and the activation energy of the phlogopite mica calculated both from dc conductivity and the modulus spectrum is similar, indicating that same type of charge carriers are involved in the relaxation phenomena. The electric modulus and conductivity data have been fitted with the Havriliak–Negami function. Scaling of M′, M″, ac conductivity has also been performed in order to obtain insight into the relaxation mechanisms. The scaling behaviour indicates that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at different temperatures. The relaxation mechanism was also examined using the Cole–Cole approach. The study elaborates that the investigation regarding the temperature and frequency dependence of dielectric relaxation in the phlogopite mica will be helpful for various cutting edge applications of this material in electrical engineering.     

Electron hopping mechanism in hematite (α-Fe2O3)

The frequency dependence of the real (?′) and imaginary (?″) parts of the dielectric constant of polycrystalline hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) has been investigated in the frequency range 0-100 kHz and the temperature range 190-350 K, in order to reveal experimentally the electron hopping mechanism that takes place during the Morin transition of spin-flip process. The dielectric behaviour is described well by the Debye-type relaxation (α-dispersion) in the temperature regions T<233 K and T>338 K. In the intermediate temperature range 233 K<T<338 K a charge carrier mechanism takes place (electron jump from the O²⁻ ion into one of the magnetic ions Fe³⁺) which gives rise to the low frequency conductivity and to the Ω-dispersion. The temperature dependence of relaxation time (τ) in the −ln τ vs 10³/T plot shows two linear regions. In the first, T<238 K, τ increases with increasing T implying a negative activation energy −0.01 eV, and in the second region T>318 K τ decreases as the temperature increases implying a positive activation energy 0.12 eV. The total reorganization energy (0.12-0.01) 0.11 eV is in agreement with the adiabatic activation energy 0.11 eV given by an ab initio model in the literature. The temperature dependence of the phase shift in the frequencies 1, 5, 10 kHz applied shows clearly an average Morin temperature T_Mo=284±1 K that is higher than the value of 263 K corresponding to a single crystal due to the size and shape of material grains.