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).     

Investigations of structural, dielectric and ferroelectric behavior of europium substituted SrBi2Ta2O9 ferroelectric ceramics

Europium substituted samples of the compositions Sr_1−xEu_xBi₂Ta₂O₉ (x=0.0,0.025,0.050,0.10 and 0.20) were synthesized by solid state reaction method and studied for their structural, dielectric and ferroelectric properties. The X-ray diffractograms confirmed the formation of single phase layered perovskite structure in all the samples. The temperature variation of dielectric constant shows that the Curie temperature (T_c) decreases on increasing concentration of europium. The dielectric loss reduces significantly with europium addition. The P-E studies of the Eu-substituted SBT ceramics show that the remanent polarization increases with increasing concentration of europium.     

Bioactivity of SiO2-CaO-P2O5-Na2O glasses containing zinc-iron oxide

Glasses with composition x(ZnO,Fe₂O₃)(65 − x)SiO₂20(CaO,P₂O₅)15Na₂O (6 ≤ x ≤ 21 mol%) were prepared by melt-quenching technique. Bioactivity of the glasses was investigated in vitro by examining apatite formation on the surface of glasses treated in acellular simulated body fluid (SBF) with ion concentrations nearly equal to those in human blood plasma. Formation of bioactive apatite layer on the samples treated in SBF was confirmed by using Fourier transform infrared reflection (FTIR) spectroscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Development of an apatite structure on the surface of the SBF treated glass samples as functions of composition and time could be established using the GI-XRD data. FTIR spectra of the glasses treated in SBF show features at characteristic vibration frequencies of apatite after 1-day of immersion in SBF. SEM observations revealed that the spherical particles formed on the glass surface were made of calcium and phosphorus with the Ca/P molar ratio being close to 1.67, corresponding to the value in crystalline apatite. Increase in bioactivity with increasing zinc-iron oxide content was observed. The results have been used to understand the evolution of the apatite surface layer as a function of glass composition and immersion time in SBF.     

Pool-Frenkel effect and high frequency dielectric constant determination of semiconducting P2O5-Li2MoO4-Li2O and P2O5-Na2MoO4-Na2O bulk glasses

The ternary 70P₂O₅-10Li₂MoO₄-20Li₂O and 70P₂O₅-10Na₂MoO₄-20Na₂O glasses, prepared by the press-melt quenching technique, were studied at temperatures between 298 and 418 K for their high dc electric field properties. For the above purpose, the effect of a strong electric field on the dc conduction of these amorphous bulk samples was investigated using the gap-type electrode configuration. At low electric fields, the current-voltage (I — V) characteristics have a linear shape, while at high electric fields (> 10³ V/cm), bulk samples show nonlinear effects (nonohmic conduction). Current-voltage curves show increasing departure from Ohm’s law with increasing current density, leading to critical phenomena at a maximum voltage (threshold voltage), known as switching (switch from a low-conduction state to a higher-conduction state at threshold voltage). The Pool-Frenkel high-field effect was observed at electrical fields of about 10³–10⁴ V/cm; then the lowering factor of the potential barrier, the high frequency dielectric constant, and the refractive index of these glasses were determined.      

Dielectric dispersion in PbO-Sb2O3-As2O3:V2O5 glasses

Dielectric properties, viz. dielectric constant ε′, loss tan δ and a.c conductivity σ_ac (over a wide range of frequency and temperature) and dielectric breakdown strength of PbO-Sb₂O₃-As₂O₃ glasses doped with V₂O₅ (ranging from 0 to 0.5 mol%) are studied. Analysis of these results, based on optical absorption and ESR spectra, indicates that the insulating strength of the glasses is comparatively high when the concentration of V₂O₅ is about 0.3 mol% in the glass matrix.     

Effect of Pb on the electrical properties of a-Ge20Se80 glasses

The present paper reports the effect of Pb impurity (low ∼2 at% and high ∼10 at%) on the ac conductivity (σ_ac) of a-Ge₂₀Se₈₀ glass. Frequency-dependent ac conductance and capacitance of the samples over a frequency range ∼100 Hz to 50 kHz have been taken in the temperature range ∼268 to 358 K. At frequency 2 kHz and temperature 298 K, the value of σ_ac increases at low as well as at higher concentration of Pb. σ_ac is proportional to ω^s for undoped and doped samples. The value of frequency exponent (s) decreases as the temperature increases. The static permittivity (ε_s) increases at both Pb concentrations. These results have been explained on the basis of some structural changes at low and higher concentration of Pb impurity.     

Sol-gel preparation and characterization of CoFe2O4-SiO2 nanocomposites

Magnetic nanocomposites formed by cobalt ferrite particles dispersed in a silica matrix were prepared by a sol-gel process. The effects of the thermal treatment temperature and the salt concentration on the structural and magnetic properties of the composites were investigated. By controlling these parameters, CoFe₂O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites with different crystallite size and magnetic properties were obtained. By increasing the annealing temperature and salt concentration, composites with a progressive increase in the coercive field and of the density of magnetization were produced. In particular, a nanocomposite, with a Fe/Si molar concentration of 21%, obtained by drying the gel at 150 °C and further annealing at 800 °C, has a coercivity of 2000 Oe, which is more than twice higher than the coercivity of bulk cobalt ferrite.     

In vitro evaluation of bioactivity of CaO-SiO2-P2O5-Na2O-Fe2O3 glasses

Glasses with compositions 41CaO(52 − x)SiO₂4P₂O₅·xFe₂O₃3Na₂O (2 ≤ x ≤ 10 mol.%) were prepared by melt quenching method. Bioactivity of the different glass compositions was studied in vitro by treating them with simulated body fluid (SBF). The glasses treated for various time periods in SBF were evaluated by examining apatite formation on their surface using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques. Increase in bioactivity with increasing iron oxide content was observed. The results have been used to understand the evolution of the apatite surface layer as a function of immersion time in SBF and glass composition.     

Dielectric properties and conductivity in CuO and MoO3 doped borophosphate glasses

A novel set of glasses of the type (B₂O₃)_0.10-(P₂O₅)_0.40-(CuO)_0.50−x-(MoO₃)_x, 0.05≤x≥0.50, have been investigated for dielectric properties in the frequency range 100 Hz-100 kHz and temperature range 300-575 K. From the total conductivity derived from the dielectric spectrum the frequency exponent, s, and dc and ac components of the conductivity were determined. The temperature dependence of dc and ac conductivities at different frequencies was analyzed using Mott's small polaron hopping model, and the high temperature activation energies have been estimated and discussed. The observed initial decrease in conductivity (ac and dc) and increase in activation energy with the addition of MoO₃ have been understood to be due to the hindrance offered by the Mo⁺ ions to the electronic motions. The observed peak-like behavior in conductivity (dip-like behavior in activation energy) in the composition range 0.20-0.50 mol fractions of MoO₃ may be due to mixed transition effect occurring in the present glasses. The temperature dependence of frequency exponent, s, has been analyzed using different theoretical models. It is for the first time that the mixed transition metal ion (TMI) doped borophosphate glasses have been investigated for dielectric properties and conductivity over wide temperature and frequency ranges and the data have been subjected to a thorough analysis.     

The trapping centers of holes in a-As2Se3

The density of the trapping centers and their capture radius for holes in a-As₂Se₃ are determined by analyzing the imaginary term of the modulated photocurrent. The light-induced changes in the imaginary term are also examined to study the influences of the photo structural changes to the density of states and to detect possible hole trapping at light created charged defects.     

Improvement in Dielectric Tunability of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO4-Mg2TiO4 Composite Ceramics via Heterogeneous Nucleation Processing

Dielectric tunable composite ceramics Ba0.6Sr0.4 TiO4-Mg2 TiO4 （BST-MT） are prepared with a heterogeneous nucleation sol-gel approach. The Mg2 TiO4 powders are synthesized by the conventionM solid-state reaction method. The micro-sized MT powders with dispersant Ciba-4010 are introduced into Ba-Sr-Ti sol to obtain uniform and homogeneous mixture compounds with nano-sized BST particles synthesized via heterogeneous nucleation （HN） in the sol-gel process. Thus, the mierostructural and dielectric properties can be tailored. The dielectric constants of BST-MT composite ceramics can be adjusted in a larg＇e range from 294 to 1790, and the dielectric tunability can be adjusted from 29.4% to 37.0% with different MT contents from 60wt% to 20wt%. Compared to the samples prepared by the conventional solid-state （SS） process, the BST-MT composite ceramics by the heterogeneous nucleation sol-gel process exhibit a more uniform microstructure, and improve dielectric properties.     

Optical absorption and thermoluminescence properties of ZnF2-MO-TeO2 (MO=As2O3, Bi2O3 and P2O5) glasses doped with chromium ions

Optical absorption, thermoluminescence, infrared spectra and differential thermal analysis of three different tellurite glass systems viz., ZnF₂-As₂O₃-TeO₂, ZnF₂-Bi₂O₃-TeO₂ and ZnF₂-P₂O₅-TeO₂ containing 0.4% of Cr₂O₃, have been investigated. Results have been analysed in the light of different oxidation states of chromium ion and the most suitable host for lasing Cr³⁺ ions has been identified and reported.     

Anisotropic properties of self-flux grown LiB3O5 single crystals

In this paper, we report the existence of anisotropic behavior along the crystallographic axes in optical, electrical and thermal properties of lithium tri borate, a recently developed vacuum UV-NLO material. The variation of refractive index with the wavelength along the crystallographic axes was investigated by prism coupling method. The results of impedance spectroscopy measurement reveal the presence of a strong anisotropy in ionic conductivity and dielectric constant along the axes and also show the super-ionic conduction behavior along the c-axis with the activation energy of Δ∼0.20 eV. A thermo-mechanical study in the temperature range of 300-900 K indicates the existence of a strong variation in the linear thermal expansion coefficient (positive value along the a-axis, and negative value along the c-axis) of LiB₃O₅ crystals.     

Role of WO3 in structural and optical properties of WO3-Al2O3-PbO-B2O3 glasses

Glass samples of composition xAl₂O₃-20PbO-(80−x)B₂O₃ and xWO₃-xAl₂O₃-20PbO-(80−2x)B₂O₃ with x varying from 0% to 10% mole fraction are prepared by melt quench technique. The optical band gap decreases (from 3.21 to 2.37 eV) more for WO₃-Al₂O₃-PbO-B₂O₃ glasses with an addition of WO₃ content. The FTIR spectral studies have pointed out the conversion of structural units of BO₃ to BO₄ and WO₄ to WO₆ in these glasses. The increase in density from 4.51 to 5.80 g cm⁻³ for WO₃-Al₂O₃-PbO-B₂O₃ glasses is observed with an increase in WO₃ content. This is observed that the atomic structure changes more with the incorporation of WO₃. This is due to the formation of WO₆, WO₄ and BO₄ units.     

A comparative study of dielectric and Raman spectroscopy of Pb(Y b1/2Ta1/2)O3 and Pb(Y b1/2Nb1/2)O3

A comparative study of the properties of two highly ordered lead based complex perovskites Pb(Y b_1/2Ta_1/2)O₃ and Pb(Y b_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃ has been carried out through x-ray diffraction, dielectric and Raman scattering measurements. These two compounds differ significantly in their structure, dielectric response and phonon vibration although the ionic radii and valencies are same for Ta and Nb. The room temperature x-ray diffraction pattern and Raman spectra show that the symmetry of lead ytterbium tantalate is lower than that of lead ytterbium niobate. The Raman spectra of Pb(Y b_1/2Ta_1/2)O₃ also indicates the presence of local distortion in the lattice which may be one of the factors responsible for the existence of a secondary transition.     

Structural and optical properties of WO3-ZnO-PbO-B2O3 glasses

Glass samples of compositions 20PbO-80B₂O₃ and xWO₃—(20−x) ZnO-20PbO-60B₂O₃ with x varying from 0% to 10% mole fraction are prepared by the melt quench technique. Decrease in the band gap from 2.86 to 2.16 eV for ZnO-PbO-B₂O₃ glasses with an increase in the WO₃ content has been observed and discussed. The FTIR spectral studies have pointed out the conversion of structural units of BO₃ to BO₄ and WO₄ to WO₆ with the presence of W-O-W vibration of tungsten and incorporation of ZnO₄ structural units of zinc in these glasses. The increase in density from 2.75 to 4.03 gcm⁻³ for ZnO-PbO-B₂O₃ glasses is observed with an increase in WO₃ content. Due to the formation of WO₆, WO₄ and BO₄ units, changes in the atomic structure with WO₃ composition are observed and discussed.     

Structure and surface characterization of ZrO2-Y2O3-Cr2O3 system

3-mol% Y₂O₃ and 0.3 to 3-mol % Cr₂O₃ co-doped ZrO₂ nanopowders were synthesized using co-precipitation technique and investigated by terms of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Structural analysis shows no significant impact of chromium on powders structure except of presence of small amount of m-phase. Surface analysis reveals segregation of yttrium and chromium atoms to the surface along with surface enrichment by oxygen that can be attributed to residual water. Chromium surface atoms present in three oxidation states with catalytically active Cr²⁺ sites possibly controlling m-phase appearance through lattice distortion.     

Study on the influence of TiO2 on the insulating strength of ZnO-ZnF2-B2O3 glasses by means of dielectric properties

ZnO-ZnF₂-B₂O₃ glasses containing small concentrations of TiO₂ ranging from 0 to 0.6 mol% were prepared. Dielectric properties (constant ε′, loss tan δ, ac conductivity σ_ac over a moderately wide range of frequency and temperature at room temperature in air medium) of these glasses have been studied. The results of these studies were analyzed with the aid of data on optical absorption, ESR and IR spectra of these glasses. The analysis suggests that when the concentration of TiO₂>0.2 mol%, the titanium ions, in addition to Ti⁴⁺ state, co-exist in Ti³⁺ state, act as modifiers and reduce the breakdown strength.     

Effect of dc-Joule-heating thermal processing on magnetoimpedance of Fe72Al5Ga2P11C6B4 amorphous alloy

The effect of multistep dc-Joule-heating thermal processing on magnetoimpedance (MI) of Fe₇₂Al₅Ga₂P₁₁C₆B₄ ribbons is presented. After material optimization significant increase of MI response up to value ΔZ/Z≈55% as well as sensitivity of about 6%/kA/m (for H?3–4 kA/m), were recorded in still amorphous samples at driving frequencies 2–3 MHz. On-line and post-annealing electrical resistivity together with Mössbauer spectra analysis and frequency dependence of the penetration depth were used for characterization of MI improvement.     

Effect of Cu-stoichiometry on the dielectric and electric properties in CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics

CaCu_3+yTi₄O₁₂ (y=0, ±0.025, ±0.05, ±0.1 and −0.15) ceramics are prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction technique under sintering condition of 1050 ^°C, 10 h. X-ray diffraction shows that they all have the good crystalline structure. Cu-deficient ceramics exhibit the microstructures of uniform grain size distribution, whereas both Cu-stoichiometric and Cu-rich ceramics display microstructures of bimodal grain size distribution. The largeness of low-frequency dielectric permittivity at room temperature is found to be very sensitive to the Cu-stoichiometry. Upon raising the measuring temperature, all of the ceramics present commonly three semicircles in the complex impedance plane. It indicates that there exist three distinct contributions, which are ascribed to arising from domains, grain boundaries and domain boundaries. In addition, the influence of CuO segregation on the dielectric and electrical properties is also discussed.