Dielectric constant,loss factor and ac conductivity of Ni2+‐doped K2ZnCl4 crystals in the ferroelectric‐commensurate,incommensurate and normal phases

The dielectric constant (ϵ), dielectric loss (tanδ) and ac conductivity (σ_ac) of virgin and thermally cycled undoped and Ni²⁺‐doped K₂ZnCl₄ (KZC) crystals in the ferroelectric‐commensurate (FC), incommensurate (IC) and normal phases (N) have been studied. Anomalous behaviour at the two‐phase transition points was observed while measuring ϵ along the polar a‐axis for the undoped sample. With increasing Ni²⁺concentration a systematic shift of the phase transition temperature towards lower values and a continuous inhibition of the peak height were detected. ϵ changed linearly with lnf up to f =10⁵ Hz. tanδ along the a‐axis declared the phase transitions by peak changes. After Ni²⁺‐doping this behaviour was preserved at the FC‐IC phase transition point while the IC‐N phase transition was manifested by a change in the slope of the straight line representing the tanδ‐T dependence. The ac conductivity changed lineally with frequency according to a relation of the form σ_ac = σ_o f ^β where 0>β>1.9. σ_ac increased monotonically with increasing temperature and doping concentration in the low‐temperature phases tending to merge in one straight‐line with high activation energy that might be due to superionic dc conduction in the high temperature N‐phase. Doping with Ni²⁺ pinned stripples, decreased the soliton‐soliton interaction, weakened discommensuration effects, shortened the IC‐phase and strongly affected the ‘chaotic' behaviour at the T_C‐IC. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of nickel-zinc ferrites

Electrical conductivity (σ) and thermoelectric power (Q) of polycrystalline nickel-zinc ferrites of different compositions was investigated as a function of composition and temperature. The electrical conductivity in these ferrites is explained on the basis of the hopping mechanism. Plots of log (σT) versus 10³/T are almost linear and show a transition near the curie temperature. The activation energy in the ferrimagnetic region is in general less than that in the paramagnetic region. The carrier concentration and mobility of charge carriers has been discussed as a function of composition and temperature.     

Electrical Conductivity and Thermoelectric Power of Lithium?Zinc Ferrites

Electrical conductivity (σ) and thermoelectric (Q) of polycrystalline lithium-zinc ferrites of different compositions was investigated as a function of composition and temperature. Plots of log (σT) versus 10³/T are almost linear and show a transition near the Curie temperature. The activation energy. in the ferrimagnetic region is in general less than that in the paramagnetic region. The carrier concentration and mobility of charge carriers has been discussed as a function of composition and temperature.     

Influence of valence and coordination of manganese ions on spectral and dielectric features of Na2SO4–B2O3–P2O5 glasses

Sodiumsulpho borophosphate glasses with composition (40 ? x)Na₂SO₄–30B₂O₃–30P₂O₅: xMnO with x ranging from 0 to 5.0 mol% were manufactures. Dielectric spectra have been studied over a wide frequency range of 10²–10⁵ Hz and in the temperature range within 30–250 °C. The valance states of manganese ions and their ligand coordination in the glass network have been investigated using optical absorption, luminescence and ESR spectroscopy. The analysis of the these results has indicated that the manganese ions exist both in Mn²⁺ as well as in Mn³⁺ states and occupy prevailingly octahedral positions and serve as modifiers similarly to Na⁺ ions The values of dielectric parameters (dielectric constant, ε′(ω), loss tan δ and ac conductivity, σ_ac) were found to increase with increasing MnO content. They play a role of modifiers similarly to Na⁺ ions, create bonding defects and free ions viz., [SO₄]^2?, [POO_1/2O₂]^2?, [POO_0/2O₃]^3–, Na⁺ and (NaSO₄)^?. The migration of these charge carriers would build up space charge polarization and may be responsible for the enhanced dielectric parameters. The ac conductivity also is enhanced with increasing MnO content. The mechanism responsible for such increase is well explained based on the modifying action of Mn²⁺ ions.     

Crystal growth,dielectric and FIR reflectivity studies on PZN(0.91)‐PT(0.09) single crystals

Crystal growth of PZN‐PT single crystals using slow cooling flux technique with PbO flux is reported in this communication. Optimum growth conditions to maximize the amount of perovskite are also suggested. The grown crystals are characterized by dielectric and FIR spectroscopy. Temperature dependence of ε′ very close to the transition temperature shows a first order phase transition. Diffused phase transition and strong frequency dependence of ε′ around transition temperature are also observed. The real part of ε′ was found to obey the relation ε′ – ε_∞ = χ′(T‐T_o)². Dispersion in the ferroelectric phase is suggested to originate from ordering of domains. Competition in the B‐site occupancy by Zn, Nb and Ti ions is suggested to be the origin for the additional modes in the FIR reflectivity at room temperature. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dielectric studies on Ba(NO3)2

Single crystals of Ba(NO₃)₂ were grown by slow evaporation of aqueous solution. The dielectric constant (ϵ) and loss (tan δ) have been measured in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 100 KHz at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 400 °C. A.c. conductivity (σ) is calculated from the data on ϵ and tan δ. ϵ, tan δ, and σ were found to show anomalies around 270 °C. The results are discussed in the light of order-disorder phase transition.     

Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of lithium-cadmium ferrites

The electrical conductivity (σ) and thermoelectric power (Q) of polycrystalline lithiumcadmium ferrites having the chemical formula Li_0.5–x/2Cd_xFe_2.5–x/2O₄ where (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) have been investigated as a function of temperature. Lithium-cadmium ferrite with x = 0.4 is found to possess minimum electrical conductivity and lowest Seebeck coefficient. Plots of log (σT) versus 10³T are almost linear and have shown a transition near the Curie temperature except in the case of cadmium ferrite. The Seebeck coefficient is negative for all the compositions showing that these ferrites behave as n-type semiconductors. The values of charge carrier concentration and mobility have also been computed. The properties of cadmium-substituted lithium ferrites have been correlated with those of zinc-substituted lithium ferrites, cadmium and zinc being two non-magnetic divalent ions occupying essentially tetrahedral A sites when substituted in ferrites.     

Temperature dependence of the dielectric parameters of nonstoichiometric SrTiO3 single crystals

The results of experimental studies of the temperature dependence of the low-frequency permittivity ε ₀ and the loss tangent taδ of nominally undoped and doped single crystals of strontium titanate at T = 10–300 K are given. The samples were doped with ions of iron-group metals (V, Mn, Fe, Co) and/or ions of rare earth metals (Pr, Nd, Sm, Tm) with concentrations of 10^?3?5 × 10^?1 at %. Anomalous temperature dependences ε₀ T and tanδ(T) were found for a number of samples. The anomalies found were attributed to the violation of stoichiometry of the single crystals under study and the transition of some fraction of Ti⁴⁺ ions to the Ti³⁺ state.     

Frequency dependence of conduction and polarization in conductive polymers

We report the results of the measurement and analysis of the complex conductivities of two high polymers over the frequency range 10²–10⁶ Hz, and temperature range 70–300 K. Giant polarization of the nomadic type is observed, with dielectric constants ranging from about 50 to 6000 in these aromatic hydrocarbon polymers. The complex conductivities resemble power law behavior, σ_ac = Aω^s (with s in the range 0.7–1.0) in some temperature ranges, and deviates from this in others. The dc conductivity and the real part of the ac conductivity at various frequencies follow a $\text{T}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>?</mtext><mtext>1</mtext><mtext>4</mtext>}}$ law. The dielectric constant varies as expected for nomadic polarization in long-chain molecules. An attempt is made to develop an understanding of the observed dependences of the complex conduction or polarization on temperature and frequency in terms of interchain and intrachain transport processes.     

AC impedance analysis of CsNO3:Al2O3 composite solid electrolyte systems

Complex impedance spectroscopic studies were carried out on CsNO₃ and CsNO₃-Al₂O₃ dispersed solid electrolyte systems (DSES) in the temperature range of 100-350 °C and the frequency 50 kHz-1 MHz. Dielectric constant, loss tangent, ac conductivity and dc ionic conductivity (obtained from CIS) in these systems are presented. DC ionic conductivity is noticed to increase with temperature in the extrinsic region in pure and dispersed systems. The enhancement of conductivity in DSES was observed to be about two orders of magnitude over its pure form in the extrinsic region. This enhancement of conductivity was attributed to the formation of space charge layer between the host material and the dispersoid. Enhancement in conductivity is found to increase with m/o up to 40 m/o where as it decreased for 80 m/o. Dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity are also found to increase with temperature, and with mole percent it maintained the similar behavior as that of dc conductivity. These dielectric properties are interpreted in terms of space charge polarization and increased concentration of defects in the interfacial layer formed between the host and the dispersoid.     

Low temperature dielectric dispersion and electrical conductivity studies on Fe2O3 mixed lithium yttrium silicate glasses

Lithium yttrium silicate glasses mixed with different concentrations of Fe₂O₃ of the composition (40 ? x) Li₂O–10Y₂O₃–50SiO₂: x Fe₂O₃, with x = 0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 and 1.5 (all in mol%) were synthesized. Electrical and dielectric properties including dielectric constant, ε′(ω), loss, tan δ, ac conductivity, σ_ac, impedance spectra as well as electric moduli, M(ω), over a wide continuous frequency range of 40 Hz to 10⁶ Hz and in the low temperature range 100 to 360 K were measured as a function of the concentration of Fe₂O₃. The dc conductivity is also evaluated in the temperature range 100 … 360 K. The temperature and frequency dispersions of dielectric constant as well as dielectric loss have been analyzed using space charge polarization model. The ac and dc conductivities have exhibited increasing trend with increasing Fe₂O₃ content beyond 0.5 mol%, whereas the activation energy for the conductivity demonstrated decreasing tendency in this dopant concentration range. Both quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) and correlated barrier hopping models (CBH) were used for clarification of ac conductivity origin and the corresponding analysis has indicated that CBH model is more appropriate for this glass system. For the better understanding of relaxation dynamics of the electrical properties we have drawn the scaling plots for ac conductivity and also electric moduli. The plots indicated that the relaxation dynamics is independent on temperature but depends on concentration of Fe₂O₃. The dc conductivity is analyzed using small polaron hoping model. The increase of conductivity with the concentration of Fe₂O₃ beyond 0.5 mol% is explained in terms of variations in the redox ratio of iron ions in the glass network. The results were further analyzed quantitatively with the support of experimental data from IR, optical absorption and ESR spectral studies. The overall analysis has indicated that Li₂O–Y₂O₃–SiO₂ glasses containing more than 0.5 mol% of Fe₂O₃ are more suitable for achieving good electrical conductivity in these glasses.     

Growth,thermophysical and electrical properties of the nonlinear optical crystal BPO4

Bulk BPO₄ crystals have been successfully grown from high temperature solution of BPO₄, Li₂O, and MoO₃ in the molar ratio of 2.3:1:1.3 by the top‐seeded solution growth (TSSG) method using [101]^c orientation seeds. There are no visible scattering centers and impurity of Mo in the as‐grown BPO₄ crystals, whose optical homogeneity reaches up to 1.6×10^–5/cm. BPO₄ possesses a specific heat of 0.50–1.00 J·g^–1·K^–1 in the temperature range from 298 to 698 K and exhibits strong anisotropic thermal expansion behavior with α_a = 14.2 × 10^–6 K^–1 and α_c = ‐4.0 × 10^–7 K^–1. Moreover, the thermal conductivity coefficients are calculated to be κ_a = 62.4 W·m^–1·K^–1 and κ_c = 51.5 W·m^–1·K^–1, which are remarkably larger than those of some commonly used borates. The measured dielectric constants, ε_a and ε_c, are 4.8 and 6.1, respectively, and the ionic conductivity coefficients, σ_a = 4.3 × 10^–8 S/cm and σ_c = 9.5 × 10^–8 S/cm, are several orders of magnitude lower than that of LiB₃O₅ (LBO). (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dependence of Electrical Conductivity (σ) and Activation Energy of Lithium Ferrite on Sintering Temperature and Porosity

The electrical conductivity (σ) of lithium ferrite sintered at 950, 1000, 1050 and 1100 °C was investigated in the temperature range of 300 to 1000 K. Three distinct regions have been observed in log (σT) vs 10³/T curves for four samples of lithium ferrite sintered at different temperatures. The conduction in the first region is due to impurities. In the second and third region is due to ordered and disordered state of the material. The transition from the first region to the second region is due to lowering of symmetry. The transition from second to third region is due to magnetic transition, i.e. ferrimagnetic to paramagnetic state. The transition temperatures are nearly equal to the Curie temperatures of the materials. The porosity and activation energy were calculated. It was found that the electrical conductivity is progressively increasing with increase of sintering temperature while the porosity and activation energy decrease continuously. The Seebeck coefficient (Q), carrier concentration (n) and mobility (μ) of charge carriers have been discussed as a function of sintering temperature and temperature.     

Dielectric study and ac conductivity of iron sodium silicate glasses

A series of glasses with formula (SiO₂)_0.7−x(Na₂O)_0.3(Fe₂O₃)_x with ( 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.20) were prepared and studied by means of AC measurements in the frequency range 20 kHz to 13 MHz at room temperature. The study of frequency dependence of both dielectric constant ε' and dielectric loss ε" showed a decrease of both quantities with increasing frequency. The results have been explained on the basis of frequency assistance of electron hopping besides electron polarization. From the Cole-Cole diagram the values of the static dielectric constant ε_s, infinity dielectric constant ε_∞, macroscopic time constant τ, and molecular time constant τ_m are calculated for the studied amorphous samples. The frequency dependence of the ac conductivity obeys a power relation, that is σ_ac (ω) = Α ω^s. The obtained values of the constant s lie in the range of 0.7 ≤ s ≤ 1 in agreement with the theoretical value which confirms the simple quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) model. The increase in ac conductivity with iron concentration is likely to arise due to structural changes occurring in the glass network. The structure of a glass with similar composition was published and showed clustering of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions which favor electron hopping and provide pathways for charge transport.     

Spectroscopic and dielectric properties of a lithia-containing glass

Glass of the composition 65SiO₂-20CaO-15Li₂O (mol %) was prepared and subjected to heat treatment. The obtained samples were characterized before and after heat treatment by DTA, TG, XRD, SEM, IR and dielectric spectroscopy. DTA showed an endothermic peak at 954 °C, accompanied by a pronounced change in the microstructure, as revealed by SEM. XRD showed that metasilicate predominates on heat treatment at 726 °C, while on heat treatment at 726 °C, then at 954 °C, disilicate crystallizes as the main phase. The IR spectra of the heat-treated glasses revealed that the vibrations of O-H groups are drastically decreased, while those due to non-bridging oxygens Si-O⁻ are increased. The dielectric constant (ε′), the loss tangent (tan δ) and the ac conductivity (σ_ac) for the prepared glasses were investigated before and after heat treatment over a moderately wide range of frequency and temperature. The activation energy of the dielectric relaxation process was found to depend on the techniques of sample preparation. A drop of dielectric constant values was observed for the heat-treated sample, which can be attributed to the ordering of the induced crystalline phases. The conductivity behavior suggests a hopping mechanism responsible for conduction.     

Optical Phonons and Chemical Bonding in TlSbS2, TlSbSe2, and Tl3SbS3 Crystals

The optical phonons at k = 0 of TlSbS₂, TlSbSe₂, and Tl₃SbS₃ have been investigated by infrared reflectivity measurements from 50 to 4000 cm⁻¹ at 300 K. The factor group analysis of vibrational modes of TlSbS₂ and Tl₃SbS₃ crystal lattices has been made. The dielectric constant dispersion for E ‖ a and E ‖ b has been determined by classical dispersion relations. The Szigeti effective charges, the Born dynamic effective charge, and the Tl, Sb, S (Se) relative ion charges were calculated in dependence on the polarization of the incident light.     

Dielectric studies on pure and doped sr (NO3)2

Single crystals of pure and Na⁺-doped strontium nitrate were grown by slow evaporation of aqueous solution. Systematic measurement of dielectric constant (ϵ) and loss (tan δ) have been carried out in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 100 kHz at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 420 °C. A.C. conductivity (σ) is obtained from the data on ϵ and tan δ, ϵ, and σ were found to show anomalies around 300 °C. The results are discussed in the context of order-disorder phase transition.     

On the Influence of Short R.T. preageing on the formation of the η′-phase in an Al-Zn(4.5 at.%)-Mg(2.5 at.%) alloy

The influence of short R.T. preageing (1 min) after quenching from 480 °C into RT-water on the formation of the η′-phase in an Al-Zn(4.5)-Mg(2.5) alloys has been investigated by means of TEM, XSAS, resistivity, and hardness measurements in the ageing temperature range between T_a = 120 °C comparing samples directly quenched (DQ) to T_a and those quenched into RT-water, kept there for 1 min, and subsequently stored in an oil-bath of T_a (IQ). At T_a ≦ 170 °C both heat treatments result in finely distributed precipitates of the η′-phase accompanied by a fairly high hardness value. But at T_a ≧ 180 °C the DQ leads only to few coarse heterogeneously formed η′- and η-precipitates, whilst the IQ yields qualitatively the same precipitation structure as already described at T_a ≦ 170 °C even till 280 °C. These results are interpreted assuming that. A1) the limitation temperature of homogeneous formation of η′ is located at about T_h = 175°c and A2) during the pre-ageing at RT “nucleation sites” are formed as already suggested by RYUM, which are able to act as sites for heterogeneous formation of η′ even at T_a > T_h. Hints are obtained that the formation of these “nucleation sites” is not so strongly governed by the quenched-in excess vacancies as discussed in the literature.     

On the influence of impurity additions and quenching temperature on the course of the microhardness (HV) during a two-step ageing treatment of an Al-2.0 at.%Zn-1.3 at.%Mg Alloy

A pure as well as the analogous technical alloy were directly quenched from T_q = 400 °C or 490 °C to T_a, preaged at T_a (ranging between 50 °C and 160 °C) various times (t_a), and subsequently postaged at R.T. up to t_post = 42 d. — Ageing the samples below the upper limit temperature of the homogeneous formation of G.P. zones (T_hn) no essential difference in the course of the HV-number attained after one- as well as two-step ageing in dependence on the addition of impurity atoms and T_q could be found. — Contrary to this behaviour after pre-ageing at T_a > T_hn and postageing at R.T. a variation of both T_q and the content of impurity atoms shows a considerable effect. The reason is the difference in the density of nucleation sites for heterogeneous formation of precipitates of the η′- and/or η-phase in dependence of T_q and impurity content.     

Ionic conduction, diffusion and glass transition in 0.2[XNa2O · (1−X)Rb2O] · 0.8B2O3

We have investigated the ionic transport in the 0.2[XNa₂O · (1−X)Rb₂O] · 0.8B₂O₃ mixed-alkali system with X=0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 in the glassy and the undercooled-liquid state by means of impedance spectroscopy and tracer diffusion experiments. The calorimetric glass-transition temperature T_g obtained by differential scanning calorimetry shows a minimum with composition. The composition dependence of the electrical conductivity below T_g exhibits a minimum, as well. These deviations from an ‘ideal’ linear mixing rule are usually denoted as mixed-alkali effect. The dc conductivities times temperature σ_dc×T follow the Arrhenius law in the range below and above T_g, respectively. The glass transition appears as a kink in the Arrhenius presentation of σ_dc×T. Below the glass-transition temperature the onset frequency ν_on of the conductivity dispersion has an Arrhenius-like temperature dependence. According to ‘Summerfield scaling’ the activation enthalpies of σ_dc×T and ν_on are expected to be the same. This is indeed observed but only for the single-alkali compositions. The activation enthalpies of σ_dc×T as a function of composition show a classical mixed-alkali maximum, however the activation enthalpies of the onset frequencies as a function of composition exhibit a nearly constant behavior in contrast to the expectation from Summerfield scaling. The tracer diffusion measurements reveal a major difference in diffusion of ⁸⁶Rb and ²²Na in mixed-alkali glasses. A diffusivity crossover of tracer diffusion coefficients of ²²Na and ⁸⁶Rb occurs near X=0.2. By comparison of tracer and conductivity diffusivities the Haven ratio is deduced which shows a maximum near the conductivity minimum composition.