Conductivity measurement and dielectric,impedance and modulus spectroscopic studies on bis (P-nitrophenol) melaminium monohydrate

The present work is aimed to study the dielectric and electrical characteristics of bis (P-nitrophenol) melaminium monohydrate (BNPM) over the temperature and frequency ranges of 333–453 K and 50 Hz–5 MHz, respectively. The dielectric properties such as dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), ac-conductivity (σ_ac), real (M′) and imaginary part (M″) of dielectric modulus were investigated as a function of temperature and frequency. The impedance analysis has been carried out using Cole-Cole plots to elucidate the electrical conduction mechanism. Further, observations indicated that the grain boundaries are more resistive and capacitive than the grains, inducing inhomogeneity in the material, which, in turn, causes broad frequency-dependent dielectric anomalies. The observed frequency-dependence of the AC conductivity validated the Jonscher power law. Further, an asymmetric dispersion peak in the imaginary part of the electrical modulus (M”) was noticed, indicating that the fabricated material exhibits non-Debye relaxation behavior.     

Dielectric and impedance properties of Sr(Sm0.5Nb0.5)O3 ceramics

Perovskite types Sr(Sm_0.5Nb_0.5)O₃, (SSN) ceramics have been prepared through solid state reaction route. The scanning electron microscopy provides information on the quality of the samples and uniform grain distribution over the surface of the samples. The field dependence of the dielectric response was measured in a frequency range from 50 Hz to 1 MHz and in a temperature range from 60 °C to 420 °C indicates polydispersive nature of the materials. An analysis of the dielectric constant (?′) and tangent loss (tanδ) with frequency is performed assuming a distribution of relaxation times as confirmed by the scaling behavior of electric modulus spectra. The frequency dependence of the electric modulus peak is found to obey Arrhenius law with activation energy of ∼0.026 eV. The complex plane impedance plot shows the grain boundary contribution for higher value of dielectric constant in the law frequency region. 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 behavior of imaginary part of electric modulus M″ suggests that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at various temperatures in SSN.     

Dielectric and ac impedance studies of nanostructured CaCu3Ti3.90Ce0.10O12 electro-ceramic synthesized by citrate-gel route

Effect of doping at Ti⁴⁺ site by Ce³⁺ has been examined in CaCu₃Ti_3.90Ce_0.10O₁₂ synthesized by citrate-gel route. DTA/TG analysis of dry powder gives pre-information about formation of final product around 850 °C. X ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of CaCu₃Ti_3.90Ce_0.10O₁₂ phase of the ceramic sintered at 950 °C for 12 h. Microstructure has been studied using scanning electron microscopy and confirmed the average grain size found in nano range 200–400 nm in system CaCu₃Ti_3.90Ce_0.10O₁₂.The nature of relaxation behavior of ceramic was also rationalized by using the impedance and modulus spectroscopy. The bulk conductivity indicates an Arrhenius-type thermally activated process. The ac conductivity spectrum obeyed the Jonscher power law. The complex impedance diagrams of the ceramic exhibited a significant contribution from the grains, grain boundaries and electrode. The activation energies calculated from the grain-boundary relaxation time constant was found to be 0.49 eV which confirmed the Maxwell–Wagner type of relaxation present in the ceramic.     

Multiferroicity in La1/2Nd1/2FeO3 nanoparticles

Nano-sized La_1/2Nd_1/2FeO₃ (LNF) powder is synthesized by the sol–gel citrate method. The Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction profile of the sample at room temperature (303 K) shows the orthorhombic phase with Pbnm symmetry. The particle size is obtained by transmission electron microscope. The antiferromagnetic nature of the sample is explained using zero field cooled and field cooled magnetisation and the corresponding hysteresis loop. A signature of weak ferromagnetic phase is observed in LNF at low temperature which is explained on the basis of spin glass like behaviour of surface spins. The dielectric relaxation of the sample has been investigated using impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 1 MHz and in the temperature range from 303 K to 513 K. The Cole–Cole model is used to analyse the dielectric relaxation of LNF. The frequency dependent conductivity spectra follow the power law. The magneto capacitance measurement of the sample confirms its multiferroic behaviour.     

Influence of nickel incorporation on structural,optical and electrical characteristics of SILAR synthesized CuO thin films

In this report, we have primarily studied the influence of nickel (Ni) incorporation on ac electrical conductivity, dielectric relaxation mechanism and impedance spectroscopy characteristics of copper oxide (CuO) thin films synthesized by successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique. The materials has been characterized using X-ray diffraction and UV–VIS spectrophotometric measurements. Reduction in grain size in doped films up to a certain extent of doping (tentatively 6%) were confirmed from XRD analysis, beyond which there is a reverse tendency. Increase in band gap in doped films were observed up to 6% doping level which could be associated with enhanced carrier density in doped films. Impedance spectroscopy analysis confirmed enhancement of ac conductivity and dielectric constant for doped samples. The results are useful for capacitive application of the films. Beyond 6% doping level, AC conductivity and dielectric constant shows a reverse tendency indicating reduced density of charge carriers. Nyquist plot shows contribution of both grain and grain boundary towards total resistance and capacitance. Imaginary part of complex modulus and imaginary part of complex impedance was used to find the migration/activation energy to electrical conduction process. Nearly identical result was obtained from relaxation frequency/relaxation time approach suggesting hopping mechanism of charge carriers.

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Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy in poly(hydroxyethyl acrylates)/water hydrogels

The electrical and dielectric properties of poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate), PHEA, hydrogels were studied by means of dielectric relaxation spectroscopy in wide ranges of frequencies (5–2 × 10⁹ Hz), temperatures (173–363 K) and water contents (0.065–0.46, g of water per gram of dry material). The secondary dipolar mechanisms (γ and β_sw) and the dc conductivity mechanism were studied in detail by analyzing the dielectric susceptibility data within the complex permittivity formalism, the modulus formalism, and the complex impedance formalism. For both mechanisms molecular mobility was found to increase with increasing temperature or increasing water content (T-f-h superposition principle). The energy parameters and the shape parameters of the response were determined for both mechanisms at several water contents and temperatures. The temperature dependence of dc conductivity was found to change from Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher (VTF) type to Arrhenius type at water contents of ca. 0.30. At water contents lower than about 0.30 the hydrogels are homogeneous whereas at higher water contents a separate water phase appears. In terms of the strong/fragile classification scheme our results suggest that the PHEA hydrogels are fragile systems. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dielectric relaxation and phonon modes of NdCrO3 nanostructure

The neodymium chromate nanoparticles are synthesized by the sol–gel process. The phase formation with Pnma symmetry of the sample is confirmed by the Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data. The particle size of the sample is determined by transmission electron microscopy. The band gap of the material is found to be 1.78 eV which is obtained by Tauc relation to UV-absorption spectrum. The room temperature Raman spectrum is fitted with the sum of 22 Lorentzian peaks. Dielectric relaxation of the sample has been investigated in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 1.1 MHz and in the temperature range from 303 to 573 K. The Cole–Cole model is used to explain the dielectric relaxation mechanism of the material. The complex impedance plane plot confirms the existence of the grain-boundary contribution to the relaxation of the sample. The frequency-dependent conductivity spectra follow the power law.     

Study of dielectric and ac impedance properties of citrate-gel synthesized Li0.35Zn0.3Fe2.35O4 ferrite

Nano-crystals of Li_0.35Zn_0.3Fe_2.35O₄ ferrite have been synthesized using citrate precursor method. The sample synthesized was sintered at different temperatures in order to vary their crystallite size. The average crystallite size was found in the range 24?C57?nm by varying the temperature from 300 to 1,100?°C. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed the formation of cubic spinel structure at all the sintering temperatures in this work. The high frequency performance of the ferrite samples were estimated by measuring the frequency dispersion of the dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac electrical conductivity. The dielectric constant has been observed to show normal behavior with frequency and decreases with the decrease in crystallite size. It is also observed that decrease in dielectric constant depends on sintering temperature because of lithium evaporation at higher temperature. A low value of dielectric constant and dielectric loss has been found, which makes them applicable for high frequency applications by decreasing the skin effect. The impedance spectroscopy technique has been used to study the effect of grain and grain boundary on the electrical properties of Li_0.35Zn_0.3Fe_2.35O₄ ferrite. The analysis of data shows only one semi-circle corresponding to the grain boundary volume suggesting that the conduction mechanism takes place predominantly through grain boundary volume in the prepared samples.     

Structural characterization and dielectric properties of the solid solutions AgPb(Sb,Bi)S3

The new solid solutions AgPbSb_1 − x Bi _x S₃ were prepared by solid state reactions. The phases were characterized by powder X-ray diffractions (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The XRD patterns of different members (x = 0.5, 0.7, 0.8, and 1.0) are consistent with pure phases crystallizing in the cubic PbS-type structure. The electrical characterization was carried out using ac impedance spectroscopy and dc methods. The temperature dependence of the dc conductivity shows typical semiconductor Arrhenius behavior. The impedance measurements were performed in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 10 MHz and at the temperature range of 15 °C to 350 °C. The ac conductivity conforms to Jonscher’s universal power law. The frequency dependence of the dielectric permittivity follows the normal dielectric material behavior, and the relaxation is thermally activated. The frequency and temperature dependences of the electrical data are found to follow Summerfield scaling formalism.     

Dielectric relaxation of PrFeO3 nanoparticles

PrFeO₃ (PFO) nanoceramic is synthesized by a sol-gel reaction technique. Thermogravimetric study of the as prepared gel is performed to get the lowest possible calcination temperature of PFO nanoparticles. The Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that the sample crystallizes in the orthorhombic (Pnma) phase at room temperature. The particle size of the sample is determined by scanning electron microscopy. The vibrational properties of the samples are studied by Raman spectroscopy at an excitation wavelength of 488 nm to substantiate the XRD results. Group-theoretical study is performed to assign the different vibrational modes of the sample in accordance with structural symmetry. Dielectric spectroscopy is applied to investigate the ac electrical properties of PFO at various temperatures between 313 and 473 K and in a frequency range of 42 Hz–1.1 MHz. The modified Cole-Cole equation is used to describe the experimental dielectric spectra. The frequency-dependent conductivity spectra are found to follow the power law. The temperature dependent dc conductivity is found to obey the Arrhenius law with an activation energy of 0.280 eV. An analysis of the real and imaginary parts of impedance is performed, assuming a distribution of relaxation times as confirmed by Cole-Cole plot.     

Electric and dielectric behavior of copper-chromium layered double hydroxide intercalated with dodecyl sulfate anions using impedance spectroscopy

The Cu₂Cr-DS-LDH hybrid was successfully prepared by the anion exchange method at room temperature. The structure, the chemical composition and the physico-chemical properties of the sample were determined using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP). In this work, the electrical and dielectric properties investigated are determined using impedance spectroscopy (IS) in a frequency range of 1 Hz to 1 MHz. Indeed, the Nyquist diagram modelized by an electrical equivalent circuit showed three contributions attributed respectively to the polarization of grains, grains boundaries and interface electrode-sample. This modelization allowed us to determine the intrinsic electrical parameters of the hybrid (resistance, pseudo-capacitance and relaxation time). The presence of the non-Debye relaxation phenomena was confirmed by the frequency analysis of impedance. Moreover, the evolution of the alternating current conductivity (σ_ac) studied obeys the double power law of Jonscher. The ionic conduction of this material was generated through a jump movement by translation of the charge carriers. As for the dielectric behavior of the material, the evolution of dielectric constant as a function of frequency shows relatively high values in a frequency range between 10 Hz and 1 KHz. The low values of the loss tangent obtained in this frequency zone can valorize this LDH hybrid.     

Analysis of electric properties of ZrO2-Y2O3 single crystals using teraherz IR and impedance spectroscopy techniques

The data obtained by impedance spectroscopy (1 Hz to 32 MHz) and broad-band dielectric spectroscopy (30 GHz-150 THz) are presented for crystals based on zirconia doped by 1.5–30 mol % Y₂O₃ or 10 mol % Sc₂O₃ and 1 mol % Y₂O₃. The maximum of ionic conductivity is confirmed for the latter composition in the working temperature range of solid oxide fuel cells where the doping by scandium and yttrium oxides makes it possible to obtain isotropic single crystals. Dependences of dielectric permeability and high-frequency conductivity of materials on the composition of crystals and temperature are presented.     

AC conductivity studies and relaxation behaviour in (LiX) y [(Li2O)0.6(P2O5)0.4](1 − y) glasses

The electrical conductivity of (LiX) _y [(Li₂O)_0.6(P₂O₅)_0.4]_(1???y) (X?=?Cl, Br, y?=?0, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2) glasses has been determined over a wide range of temperature and frequency by means of impedance spectroscopy. The real part of the frequency-dependent conductivity exhibits a simple power law feature, and the dimensionless frequency exponent n has been determined. The conductivity spectra show scaling behaviour when the conductivity spectra are scaled by ω/(σ _dc T) and ω/ω _p . The conductivity relaxation time and activation energy have been estimated from the modulus spectra. Increases of ionic conductivity values with addition of LiX content are in line with the decrease of activation energy and relaxation time.     

Electrical characterization of LiCo3/5Fe2/5VO4 ceramics

LiCo_3/5Fe_2/5VO₄ has been synthesized by solution-based chemical method. X-ray diffraction study at room temperature reveals an orthorhombic phase of the compound. Electrical properties are studied using complex impedance spectroscopy (CIS) technique in a range of frequency and temperature. The complex impedance plots identify the grain interior, grain boundary and electrode–material interface contributions to electrical response in the material. Temperature dependence of a.c. and d.c. conductivity indicates that electrical conduction in the material is a thermally activated process. The value of activation energy computed from the Arrhenius plot of σ_dc with 10³/T is ～(0.356 ± 0.012) eV (25–275 °C). Frequency dependence of a.c. conductivity at different temperatures is found to obey Jonscher's universal law.     

Electrical Properties of Carboxyl Methylcellulose/Chitosan Dual-Blend Green Polymer Doped with Ammonium Bromide

This present work discusses dual-blend green polymer electrolyte (GPE)–based natural polymers, composed of carboxyl methylcellulose (CMC) and chitosan (CS), created by introducing various compositions of ammonium bromide (NH₄Br) as a dopant in the system. These GPEs were successfully prepared by the solution casting technique and characterized using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). From EIS measurement, the highest room-temperature conductivity is 1.21 × 10^?5 Scm^?1 for the sample containing 20 wt.% of NH₄Br. Plot of the temperature dependence of the GPEs revealed that the system obeys the Arrhenius rule and was thermally assisted. Besides that, dielectric studies were also conducted and the data were analyzed using complex permittivity, ?^*, and complex electrical modulus, M*, to determine the sample with the highest conductivity value. Thus, this study confirmed non-Debye behavior in the sample.     

Electrochemical characterization of sodium and potassium doped lanthanum–titanium mixed oxides prepared by sol–gel method

Varying amounts of Na and K doped lanthanum–titanium oxides were synthesized by gel entrapment technique. These ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Microstructural investigations revealed grain growth in the doped material compared to undoped sample. Dielectric relaxations of these compounds were investigated in the temperature range 250–900 °C. A high degree of dispersion of the permittivity of un-doped lanthanum–titanium oxide and K and Na doped lanthanum–titanium oxide was observed in the frequency range <100 kHz which was attributed to oxygen vacancies. An increase in the permittivity values were observed with 1 % Na and K doped samples. The permittivity values further deteriorated with the dopant concentration. Using the Cole–Cole model, an analysis of the dielectric loss with frequency was performed, assuming a distribution of relaxation time. The dielectric loss was found to decrease by doping K in lanthanum–titanium oxide matrix. The dc conductivity studies showed that a temperature dependent hopping type mechanism is responsible for electrical conduction in the system.     

Electrical anisotropy in the hot-forged CaBi4Ti4O15 ceramics

Textured CaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ (CBT) ceramics have been fabricated via a hot-forging technique. The effect of grain orientation on the dielectric and electrical properties is studied by impedance (Z¹) and modulus (M¹) spectroscopy. The degree of orientation (F) calculated from X-ray diffraction pattern is found to be 89.4% along the c-axis of the crystal structure. The permittivity was measured along both perpendicular and parallel directions of the forging axis. The ratio of permittivity along perpendicular to parallel direction is found to be ～3 at the Curie temperature of 797 °C. The non-superimposition of the normalized Z″ and M″ vs. frequency plot revealed the conduction in the material is localized and deviate from ideal Debye behavior. The power law exponent n of the material has been explained on the basis of jump relaxation model and revealed the conduction through grain boundary. Activation energy (E_a) is obtained from Arrhenius plots of the dc conductivity for both the ceramics and it is found to be 0.89 eV and 0.78 eV for CBT (∥) and CBT (⊥), respectively.     

Magneto-thermal and dielectric properties of biferroic YCrO3 prepared by combustion synthesis

Microstructural, magnetothermal and dielectric properties of YCrO₃ powders prepared by combustion and solid state methods have been studied by a combination of XRD, specific heat, magnetization and permittivity measurements. The TEM and XRD characterization confirm that the combustion powders are amorphous plate-like agglomerates of nano-sized crystalline particles. A more uniform grain size along with an increase of the relative density is observed by SEM in the sintered samples prepared by combustion route with respect to those produced by solid state reaction. Similar to the material obtained through solid state synthesis, the material prepared by the combustion method also shows spin canted antiferromagnetic ordering of Cr⁺³ (S=3/2) at ∼140 K, which is shown by magnetization as well as λ-type anomaly in the total specific heat. Furthermore, the magnetic contribution to the total specific heat reveals spin fluctuations above T_N and a spin reorientation transition at about 60 K. Both YCrO₃ compounds show a diffuse phase transition at about 450 K, typical of a relaxor ferroelectric, which is characterized by a broad peak in the real part of the dielectric permittivity as a function of temperature, with the peak decreasing in magnitude and shifting to higher temperature as the frequency increases. The relaxor dipoles are due to the local non-centrosymmetric structure. Furthermore, the high loss tangent in a broad range of temperature as well as conductivity analysis indicates a hopping mechanism for the electronic conductivity as we believe it is a consequence of the outer d³-shell, which have detrimental effects on the polarization and the pooling process in the YCrO₃ bulk material. The more uniform particle size and higher density material synthesized through the combustion process leads to an improvement in the dielectric Properties.     

Colossal dielectric constant in PrFeO3 semiconductor ceramics

The perovskite PrFeO₃ ceramics were synthesized via sol–gel method. The dielectric properties and impedance spectroscopy (IS) of these ceramics were studied in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1000 kHz in the temperature range from 80 K to 300 K. These materials exhibited colossal dielectric constant value of ∼10⁴ at room temperature. The response is similar to that observed for relaxorferroelectrics. IS data analysis indicates the ceramics to be electrically heterogeneous semiconductor consisting of semiconducting grains with dielectric constant 30 and more resistive grain boundaries with effective dielectric constant ∼10⁴. We conclude, therefore that grain boundary effect is the primary source for the high effective permittivity in PrFeO₃ ceramics.     

Study on conductivity and dielectric behavior of chemically synthesized polypyrrol dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid blended with poly(methyl methacrylate)

Polypyrrole (PPy) doped with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid was synthesized and was blended with compatible polymer PMMA in chloroform. Flexible and free-standing films with compositions PPy: PMMA = 10: 90, 20: 80, 30: 70, and 50: 50 were obtained. The percentage of crystallinity and particle size of synthesized polymers were estimated from X-rays diffraction studies. Scanning Electron Micrographs showed that phase separation was observed and compatibility of the mixture decreased with increase of PMMA content. The dielectric measurements were performed in the frequency range 0.1 kHz–1 MHz in temperature range 303–473 K. The frequency dependent conductivity (σ_ac) obeyed a power law of frequency with an exponent s < 1. Electric modulus formalism exhibits a peak in frequency. The peak of conductivity relaxation shifted towards higher frequencies and the magnitude of relaxation decreased with the increase of PMMA content in the composites.