Electrical conductivities of the Ag6PS5X and the Cu6PSe5X (X=Br, I) argyrodites

The Ag₆PS₅Br and Ag₆PS₅I argyrodites crystallize in a face-centered-cubic lattice at room temperature. Both compounds exhibit purely Arrhenius behavior throughout the temperature range 150-400 K with similar activation energies of about 0.23 eV. Cu₆PSe₅Br and Cu₆PSe₅I also crystallize in a face-centered-cubic structure at room temperature. Cu₆PSe₅Br exhibits a distinctive anomaly in electrical conductivity near 286 K while Cu₆PSe₅I undergoes a first-order electrical phase transition near 265 K. Their activation energies above room temperature are 0.13 and 0.30 eV, respectively.     

The effect of sulfide substitution in the mixed conductor Cu7PSe6

Cu₇PSe₆ is a mixed conductor exhibiting structural phase transitions above and below room temperature that are accompanied by step-like changes in electrical conductivity. The substitution of S²⁻ for Se²⁻ in Cu₇PSe₆ significantly enhances electrical conductivity at room temperature compared to that observed for the pure compound. In the case of Cu₇P(Se_0.80S_0.20)₆, a nearly temperature-independent electrical conductivity exceeds 1 S/cm with no evidence of any phase transitions throughout the temperature interval 200-400 K. However, the ionic contribution accounts for just 2% of the total electrical conductivity in this solid solution at room temperature.     

The effect of Ag substitution in the mixed conductor Cu7PSe6

Cu₇PSe₆ is a mixed conductor that crystallizes in the simple cubic structure at room temperature. Structural transitions above and below room temperature are accompanied by step-like changes in electrical conductivity. The substitution of Ag⁺ for Cu⁺ in Cu₇PSe₆ stabilized the simple cubic structure over a wider range of temperatures than is observed for the pure compound. A disproportionate decrease in electrical conductivity accompanies modest levels of silver substitution. The prominent step in electrical conductivity associated with the low-temperature crystallographic phase transition disappears in (Ag_xCu_1−x)₇PSe₆ solid solutions for a composition parameter x=0.20, replaced by two distinct changes in the slope of conductivity below room temperature.     

Electrical and optical absorption studies of Cu7GeS5I fast-ion conductor

Electrical conductivity and fundamental absorption spectra of monocrystalline Cu₇GeS₅I were measured in the temperature ranges 95-370 and 77-373 K, respectively. A rather high electrical conductivity (σ_t=6.98×10⁻³Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 300 K) and low activation energy (ΔE_a=0.183 eV) was found. The influence of different types of disordering on the Urbach absorption edge and electron-phonon interaction parameters were calculated, discussed and compared with the same parameters in Cu₇GeS₅I, Cu₆PX₅I (X=S,Se) and Ag₇GeX₅I (X=S,Se) compounds. We have concluded that the P→Ge and Cu→Ag cation substitution results in an increase of the electrical conductivity and a decrease of the activation energy. Besides, P→Ge substitution, results in complete smearing and disappearance of the exciton absorption bands and in blue shift of the Urbach absorption edge, an increase of the edge energy width and an electron-phonon-interaction enhancement.     

Structure and low-temperature properties of Ba8Ni6Ge40

Structural, magnetic, heat capacity, electrical and thermal transport properties are reported on polycrystalline Ba₈Ni₆Ge₄₀. Ba₈Ni₆Ge₄₀ crystallizes in a cubic type I clathrate structure with unit cell a=10.5179 (4) Å. It is diamagnetic with susceptibility χ_dia=−1.71×10^-6 emu/g Oe. An Einstein temperature 75 K and a Debye temperature 307 K are estimated from heat capacity data. It exhibits n-type conducting behavior below 300 K. It shows high Seebeck coefficients (−111×10^-6 V/K), low thermal conductivity (2.25 W/K m), and low electrical resistivity (8.8 mΩ cm) at 300 K.     

Temperature variation of electrical conductivity and absorption edge in Cu7GeSe5I advanced superionic conductor

Single crystals of Cu₇GeSe₅I superionic conductor were grown by chemical transport. Their electrical conductivity in the frequency range 1.0×10⁶–1.2×10⁹ Hz and in the temperature range 196–295 K was measured. Cu₇GeSe₅I crystal is shown to exhibit a rather high electrical conductivity (σ₂₉₅=64.0 S/m at 295 K) and a low activation energy (ΔE_a=0.125 eV). Optical absorption edge of Cu₇GeSe₅I crystals in the temperature range 77–300 K was studied, the temperature dependences of the optical pseudogap and Urbach energy being obtained. The effect of different types of disordering on the Urbach absorption edge and electron–phonon interaction parameters was investigated.     

Molecular material—{N(n-C4H9)4[Ni(II)0.5 Fe(II)0.5 Fe(III)(C2O4)3]}∞: Magnetic, Mössbauer and electrical conductivity studies

We have attempted to characterize the magnetic and electrical properties of a new mixed-metal molecular material {NBu₄[Ni(II)_0.5Fe(II)_0.5Fe(III)(ox)₃]}_N synthesized by the use of trioxalatoferrate as the building block. Mössbauer spectroscopy was utilized in order to understand local spin structures in this compound. The results indicate that the compound is a semiconducting ferrimagnet with T_N=30 K and room temperature conductivity of 6×10⁻¹⁵ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ along with 1.8 eV activation energy under dark. The compound has no appreciable electrical response towards illumination.     

Bi luminescence in ABiO2Cl (A=Sr, Ba) and BaBiO2Br

Trivalent bismuth luminescence is reported in three Sillen bismuth oxyhalide phases, SrBiO₂Cl, BaBiO₂Cl, and BaBiO₂Br. These compounds exhibit Bi 6s6p→6s² emission under UV and X-ray radiations. At room temperature, BaBiO₂Cl shows the most intense light emission, with spectral and decay properties similar to those found in Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (BGO). At low temperatures, each phase show an increase in the photoluminescence intensities and a narrowing of the emission peaks. In contrast to the temperature dependence of BGO, X-ray excited luminescence intensities of all three phases remain relatively constant throughout the temperature range 10-295 K, though much lower than BGO at low temperatures. This result indicates that the Sillen phases undergo less thermal quenching than BGO. The low temperature and room temperature radio-luminescence decay times were determined from pulsed X-ray measurements. At room temperature, SrBiO₂Cl exhibits faster decays than BGO, while BaBiO₂Cl and BaBiO₂Br have decay times similar to BGO.     

Structural and transport properties of CdI2 doped silver ion conducting system

The glass system xCdI₂-(100−x)[2Ag₂O-(0.7V₂O₅-0.3B₂O₃)] with different amount of dopant salt have been prepared by melt quenching technique. The sample obtained were pulverized and characterized by XRD, DSC, and FTIR. The electrical conductivity studies of the samples have been carried out at different temperatures and frequencies. Conductivity of the glasses increased with the increase in the CdI₂ contents and attains a value of 7.76×10⁻⁴ S/cm at room temperature for the composition having x=30 mol% of CdI₂. Infrared spectroscopic studies on these glasses indicated that the oxyanion network was not affected by the addition of CdI₂. The transport number of the silver ion determined by emf method is nearly unity. The frequency dependence of electrical conductivity for various glass compositions at different temperature has been analyzed in terms of Jonscher's Universal expression. In the present CdI₂ doped system, the conduction is due to the Ag⁺ ions attached to the AgI which is formed due to the exchange reaction between CdI₂ and Ag₂O.     

Electrical conductivity of 4-tricyanovinyl-N,N-diethylaniline

Physical characterizations of 4-tricyanovinyl-N,N-diethylaniline, TCVA, have been reported. The differential scanning calorimetry measurements of TCVA showed that this compound is stable up to 423 K. The temperature dependence of electrical conductivity, in the temperature range from 298 to 403 K, was studied on pellet samples of TCVA with evaporated ohmic Au electrodes. The electrical conductivity was found to be 7.01×10⁻⁹ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at room temperature. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity is typical for semiconducting compounds. The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of TCVA pellet samples have been investigated at different temperatures. In low-voltage region, the conduction current obeys Ohm's law while the charge transport phenomenon appears to be space-charge-limited current in the higher voltage regions.     

Analysis of the CH3D Nonad from 2000 to 3300 cm

As part of the simultaneous analysis of line positions and intensities of the first two polyads of monodeuterated methane, the results achieved for the region 3-5 μm are reported. It involves the three highest fundamentals, (ν₁, ν₂, ν₄), overlapped by overtone (2ν₃, 2ν₅, 2ν₆) and combination (ν₃+ν₆, ν₃+ν₅, ν₅+ν₆) bands. The theoretical model was based on the global tensorial model implemented in the MIRS package. Some 10 000 line positions and 2400 line intensities have been modeled to ±0.000 88 cm⁻¹ and ±3.6% respectively, using measurements obtained at 0.0056 and 0.011 cm⁻¹ resolution with the Fourier transform spectrometer at National Solar Observatory located at Kitt Peak. The strongest band in this polyad is ν₄(E) at 3016.7 cm⁻¹ with a strength of 6.3×10⁻¹⁸ cm⁻¹/(molecule cm⁻²) at 296 K; the weakest band is 2ν₃(E) at 2597.7 cm⁻¹ with a strength of 1.9×10⁻²⁰ cm⁻¹/(molecule cm⁻²) at 296 K. The total calculated absorption arising from the CH₃D nonad is 8.95×10⁻¹⁸ cm⁻¹/(molecule cm⁻²) at 296 K.     

Spray pyrolytic deposition of solid electrolyte Bi2V0.9Cu0.1O5.35 films

Copper substituted bismuth vanadate films have been successfully deposited first time by spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates suitable for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells. Desired phase formation of polycrystalline Bi₂V_0.9Cu_0.1O_5.35 (BICUVOX.10) was confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique. These films were further studied with EDAX and SEM techniques for their compositional and morphological characterization. Electrical conductivity of BICUVOX.10 is found to be 5.7 × 10⁻² (Ω cm)⁻¹ at 698 K, predicts the onset temperature for ionic contribution suitable for low temperature SOFC applications. Room temperature complex impedance plot reveals that electrical process arises due to contribution from the grain interior.     

Low-temperature thermoelectric properties of Bi85Sb15−xNbx alloys prepared by high-press sintering

The nanocrystalline materials with the general formula Bi₈₅Sb_15−xNb_x (x=0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3) were prepared by mechanical alloying and subsequent high-pressure sintering. Their transport properties involving electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity have been investigated in the temperature range of 80-300 K. The absolute value of Seebeck coefficient of Bi₈₅Sb₁₃Nb₂ reaches a maximum of 161 μV/K at 105 K, which is 69% larger than that of Bi₈₅Sb₁₅ at the same temperature. The power factor and figure-of-merit are 4.45×10⁻³ WK⁻²m⁻¹ at 220 K and 1.79×10⁻³ K⁻¹ at 196 K, respectively. These results suggest that thermoelectric properties of Bi₈₅Sb₁₅ based material can be improved by Nb doping.     

Characterization of hybrid electrolytes prepared from the Li2S-P2S5 glasses and alkanediols

Inorganic-organic hybrid electrolytes were prepared by the mechanochemical method using the Li⁺ ion conductive 70Li₂S·30P₂S₅ glass and various alkanediols. Local structure of the prepared electrolytes was analyzed by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. The effects of the proportion and chain length of alkanediols on conductivity of the hybrid electrolytes were investigated. The hybrid electrolyte with 2 mol.% of 1,4-butanediol exhibited the conductivity of 9.7 × 10^− 5 S cm^− 1 at room temperature and the unity of lithium ion transference number. The use of alkanediols with shorter chain length was effective in increasing conductivity of hybrid electrolytes. The electrolyte using ethyleneglycol showed the highest conductivity of 1.1 × 10^− 4 S cm^− 1 at room temperature. Lowering glass transition temperature by incorporation of alkanediols is responsible for the enhancement of conductivity of hybrid electrolytes.     

High temperature transport properties of Ag-added (Ca0.975La0.025)3Co4O9 ceramics

Ag-added (Ca_0.975La_0.025)₃Co₄O₉ ceramics were fabricated using spark plasma sintering from the precursor powder synthesized by a polyacrylamide gel method. The results indicated that Ag precipitated as a second phase in Ca₃Co₄O₉ matrix. The addition of Ag was effective in enhancing the electrical conductivity and had a slight effect on Seebeck coefficient. In addition, the temperature dependence of electrical conductivity showed that the hole hopping conduction mechanism was dominant for the Ag-added (Ca_0.975La_0.025)₃Co₄O₉ ceramics. The activation energy remained unchanged with the increasing Ag content. The thermoelectric power factor of Ag-added (Ca_0.975La_0.025)₃Co₄O₉ ceramics reached about 5×10⁻⁴ Wm⁻¹ K⁻² at 700 °C, suggesting a promising thermoelectric oxide candidate at high temperatures.     

Dielectric properties and relaxation behavior of [TMA]2Zn0.5Cu0.5Cl4 compound

The [TMA]₂Zn_0.5Cu_0.5Cl₄ hybrid material was prepared and its dielectric spectra were measured in the 10⁻¹ Hz-10⁶ Hz frequency range and 200-305 K temperature interval. The dielectric permittivity showed a ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition at 293 K. Double relaxation peaks are observed in the imaginary part of the electrical modulus, suggesting the presence of grain and grain boundary in the sample. The frequency dependent conductivity was interpreted in term of Jonscher's law: σ(ω)=σ_dc+Aωⁿ. The temperature dependent of the dc conductivity (σ_dc) was well described by the Arrhenius equation: σ_dcT=σ_o×exp(−E_a/kT).     

Van der Pauw resistivity measurements on evaporated thin films of cadmium arsenide, Cd3As2

Cadmium arsenide is a II-V semiconductor, exhibiting n-type intrinsic conductivity with high mobility and narrow bandgap. It is deposited by thermal evaporation, and has shown the Schottky and Poole-Frenkel effects at high electric fields, but requires further electrical characterisation. This has now been extended to low-field van der Pauw lateral resistivity measurements on films of thickness up to 1.5 μm. Resistivity was observed to decrease with increasing film thickness up to 0.5 μm from about 3 × 10⁻³ Ω m to 10⁻⁵ Ω m, where the crystalline granular size increases with film thickness. This decrease in resistivity was attributed to a decrease in grain boundary scattering and increased mobility. Substrate temperature during deposition also influenced the resistivity, which decreased from around 10⁻⁴ Ω m to (10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁶) Ω m for an increase in substrate deposition temperature from 300 K to 423 K. This behaviour appears to result from varying grain sizes and ratios of crystalline to amorphous material. Resistivity decreased with deposition rate, reaching a minimum value at about 1.5 nm s⁻¹, before slowly increasing again at higher rates. It was concluded that this resulted from a dependence of the film stoichiometry on deposition rate. The dependence of resistivity on temperature indicates that intercrystalline barriers dominate the conductivity at higher temperatures, with a hopping conduction process at low temperatures.     

Effect of LiX(X = F,Cl, Br,I) and Na2SO4 on the electrical conducticity of Li2SO4 : Li2CO3 eutectic

The effect of addition of LiX (X = F, Cl, Br, I) and Na₂SO₄ on the electrical conductivity of the eutectic composition of Li₂SO₄ and Li₂CO₃ has been studied. The eutectic composition with 10 mol% Na₂SO₄ gives high conductivity and this could be applied in power sources.     

Structure, thermal and transport properties of PVAc-LiClO4 solid polymer electrolytes

The lithium ion conducting solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) based on PVAc-LiClO₄ of various compositions were prepared by solution casting technique. Structure and surface morphology characterization were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements, respectively. Thermal and conductivity behavior of polymer-salt complexes were studied by employing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and ac impedance measurements, respectively. XRD and SEM analyses indicate the amorphous nature of the polymer-salt complexes. DSC measurements show decrease in T_g with the increase in LiClO₄ concentrations. The bulk conductivity of the PVAc:LiClO₄ polymer electrolytes was found to vary between 7.6×10⁻⁷ and 6.2×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at 303 K with the increase in salt concentration. The temperature dependence of the polymer electrolyte complexes appear to obey Arrhenius law.     

Synthesis, electrical and dielectric properties of FeVO4 nanoparticles

The electrical and dielectric properties of FeVO₄ nanoparticles were studied at different temperatures from ambient to 200 °C. The samples were prepared by simple co-precipitation method using ferric nitrate and ammonium metavanadate as the starting precursors. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern inferred the single phase formation and triclinic structure of FeVO₄. The morphology of the particles was elucidated from SEM studies. Detailed studies on the electrical and dielectric properties of the compound were carried out by using solid state impedance spectroscopy. A maximum dc conductivity of 4.65×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ was observed at the measuring temperature of 200 °C. The calculated activation energy from dc conductivity was found to be 0.28 eV. It was evident that the electrical transport process in the system was due to the hopping mechanism. The detailed dielectric studies were also carried out.