Effect of Zn and Mg doping on structural,dielectric and magnetic properties of tetragonal CuFe2O4

The Cu_1?xA_xFe₂O₄ (A = Zn, Mg; x = 0.0, 0.5) ferrites were successfully synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy reveals that all the ferrite samples are in single-phase with tetragonal structure for CFO and cubic spinel structure for CZFO and CMFO samples. SEM micrograph shows the variation of grain size with Zn and Mg doping in parent CFO sample. Frequency dependent dielectric response confirms the dielectric polarization and electrical conduction mechanism in the present series with a maximum value of dielectric constant and loss tangent for CZFO sample. The anomaly ～493 K in temperature dependent dielectric constant and dielectric loss is assigned to tetragonal to cubic phase transition in CFO sample. The magnetic measurement explored that the saturation value (M_s) is maximum for CZFO as compared to CFO and CMFO ferrites samples.     

Magnetic and dielectric studies of nanocrystalline zinc substituted Cu-Mn ferrites

Ferrites with the general formula Cu_1−xZn_xFeMnO₄ (where 0≤x≤1) were prepared through a citrate gel auto-combustion route. Structural characterizations carried out by X-ray diffraction reveal that the lattice constant increases with increase in zinc content. Transmission electron microscopic measurements confirm the nanoscale nature of the particles. Room temperature saturation magnetization was measured as a function of zinc concentration. The saturation magnetization increases up to x=0.25 and then decreases as zinc concentration increases. Dielectric permittivity, dielectric loss tangent, ac conductivity and complex dielectric impedance were studied in the frequency range 20 Hz-1 MHz. The results indicated a usual dielectric dispersion due to the Maxwell-Wagner type of interfacial polarization. Dielectric loss showed similar behavior as dielectric permittivity. The ac conductivity increased linearly with frequency. Complex impedance spectroscopic studies confirmed that conduction in the samples is via grain boundaries. In general, substitution of zinc plays an important role in changing the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of these ferrites.     

Magnetoelectric properties of particulate and bi-layer PMN-PT/CoFe2O4 composites

Our studies comprise electrical dielectric and magnetoelectric properties of CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) and Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.67Ti_0.33O₃ [PMN-PT] magnetoelectric composites. The individual phases were prepared by conventional ceramic method. The particulate composites of ferrite and ferroelectric phases were prepared in ferroelectric rich region. Presence of both the phases in the composites was confirmed using X-ray diffraction techniques. The scanning electron microscopic images recorded in backscattered mode were used to study the microstructure of composites. Lattice constant, dielectric constant, electrical resistivity, ferroelectric, and magnetic properties of individual as well as particulate composites were studied. Further the bi-layer composites were made using the discs obtained from the powders of individual phases where hot press technique was employed to obtain disc of individual phases. CFO phase used in bi-layer composites was obtained using chemical co-precipitation technique. Magnetoelectric (ME) measurements were carried out on both, particulate and layered magnetoelectric composites. Comparison of ME signal obtained from particulate and layered composites revealed that the layered composites gives superior magnetoelectric signal. ME data obtained for layered composites show good agreement with the theoretical model.     

Temporal linear instability analysis of an electrified coaxial jet with inner driving liquid inside a coaxial electrode

In this paper, a temporal linear stability analysis is performed of a coaxial jet composed of two immiscible liquids inside a coaxial electrode. This analysis is carried out to investigate the case of an inner driving coaxial electrospray system. The assumption is made that the inner liquid has high electric conductivity, and the outer liquid is an insulating dielectric. The dimensionless dispersion equation for both the axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric modes is derived and solved numerically for the axisymmetric case. The effects of the relevant dimensionless parameters on the instability of the jet are discussed in detail. These parameters include the dimensionless electrostatic force E, the dielectric constant ratio ε, the diameter ratios a and b, the velocity ratio Λ, the density ratio S, the Weber number, and the interface tension ratio ζ. Two independent unstable modes, modes 1 and 2, are found and analyzed. Among the various parameters, the dimensionless electrostatic force and the dielectric constant have a similar and remarkable influence on modes 1 and 2, altering drastically the regime of the jet as they vary. The interface tension on the outer interface promotes the instability of both modes 1 and 2 in the region of long wavelengths while suppressing the growth rate in the region characterized by short wavelengths. The interface tension on the inner interface, however, promotes instability of only mode 2 in the same way. The diameter ratio a has a great effect on mode 2 while a negligible influence on mode 1. And the diameter ratio b has a slight effect on both the unstable modes.     

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.     

Frequency dependence of ionic conductivity and dielectric relaxation studies in Na3H(SO4)2 single crystal

Electrical impedance measurements of Na₃H(SO₄)₂ were performed as a function of both temperature and frequency. The electrical conductivity and dielectric relaxation have been evaluated. The temperature dependence of electrical conductivity reveals that the sample crystals transformed to the fast ionic state in the high temperature phase. The dynamical disordering of hydrogen and sodium atoms and the orientation of SO₄ tetrahedra results in fast ionic conductivity. In addition to the proton conduction, the possibility of a Na⁺ contribution to the conductivity in the high temperature phase is proposed. The frequency dependence of AC conductivity is proportional to ω^s. The value of the exponent, s, lies between 0.85 and 0.46 in the room temperature phase, whereas it remains almost constant, 0.6, in the high-temperature phase. The dielectric dispersion is examined using the modulus formalism. An Arrhenius-type behavior is observed when the crystal undergoes the structural phase transition.     

Influence of Zn/Co ratio on dielectric behavior of Na<Subscript>2</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>1 ‐ x</Subscript>Co<Subscript>x</Subscript>P<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> glasses

A series of zinc phosphate glass doped with cobalt Na₂Zn_(1???x)Co_xP₂O₇ (x = 0, 1, 2 and 5 mol%) was synthesized. These glasses were characterized by both infrared and large broadband dielectric spectroscopy. Infrared spectra indicate the increase of Zn/Co ratio creates defect in phosphate network due to the depolymeration of phosphate anions. The dc conductivity increases and activation energy decreases with the amount of cobalt ions in the glass network. The impedance measurements reveal that the total conductivity follows Jonscher’s power law. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss increased with the temperature and decreased with the frequency whatever the cobalt proportion.     

Adjustable plasmon resonance in the coaxial gold nanotubes

We propose the coaxial gold nanotubes for their transmission and plasmon resonances theoretically. We find that the transmission spectra are highly adjustable by tuning the thickness of the nanotubes, the separation and the dielectric constant between the inner and outer nanotubes. The resonance peaks close to the left forbidden band gap edge are strongly correlated with the dielectric constant, the inner and outer tube thickness, and the separation between the two tubes. Based on the localized nature of the electric field distributions, we show that local plasmon resonance modes result from hybridized resonances of multifold multipolar plasmon polaritons in the cross section of the coaxial nanotubes.     

Impact of MoO3 concentration,frequency and temperature on the dielectric properties of zinc phosphate glasses

Phosphate glasses with the chemical composition of 47P₂O₅–24ZnO-(29-x)Na₂O-xMoO₃, x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, have been prepared using the melt quenching technique. Dielectric properties of these phosphate glasses are carried out in the frequency range from 1 to 100 kHz at different temperatures. Dielectric parameters such as dielectric constant ε′, dielectric loss ε′′ and ac conductivity of the investigated glasses have been evaluated. The dependences of these dielectric parameters on frequency, composition and temperature have been discussed. It is found that dielectric constant decreases with increasing frequency due to the reduction of space-charge polarization and dipole polarization. The dependence of ac conductivity on the MoO₃ content indicates a competition between electronic and ionic conduction. The temperature dependence of the dielectric parameters reveals a rising trend of the dielectric parameters with temperature. This rising trend is indicated due to the increase of the amplitude of the thermal vibration of the charge carriers which facilitates the electron hopping and drifting of the mobile ions. The linear trend of the ln(σ_ac)-1000/T plot indicates that ac conductivity of the investigated glasses is thermally-activated transport process and follows the Arrhenius equation. The activation energy and its composition dependence have been reported.     

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.     

Effect of Mg doping on the electrical properties of SnO2 nanoparticles

Sol-gel derived Mg doped tin oxide (Sn_1−xMg_xO₂) nanocrystals were synthesized with x ranging between 0.5 and 7 at. %. Characteristic single phase tetragonal structure of pure and doped samples was obtained and doping saturation was inferred by X-ray diffraction analysis. Structural, morphological and phase informations were obtained by high resolution transmission electron microscope, field emission scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy respectively whereas bonding information was obtained from Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Measurement of different electrical parameters with frequency (200 Hz-10⁵ Hz) has been carried out at room temperature. Ultrahigh dielectric constant and metallic AC conductivity were observed for undoped tin oxide and the profiles reflected highly sensitive changes in the atomic and interfacial polarizability generated by doping concentrations. Relaxation spectra of tangent loss of any sample did not show any loss peak within the frequency range. Both the grain and grain boundary contributions are observed to increase as the doping concentration increased. Results of first principle calculation based on density functional theory indicated effective Fermi level (E_F) suppression due to Mg doping which is responsible for the experimentally observed conductivity variation. AC conductivity was found to depend strongly on the doping concentration and the defect chemistry of the compound. Mg doped SnO₂ may find applications as a low loss dielectric and high density energy storage material.     

Dielectric and impedance measurements on (1−x)Ba(Fe1/2Ta1/2)O3-xBa(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 ceramics

In this work, ((1−x)Ba(Fe_1/2Ta_1/2)O₃-xBa(Zn_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃), ((1−x)BFT-xBZT) ceramics with x = 0.00–0.12 were synthesized by the solid–state reaction method. X-ray diffraction data revealed that both the powders and ceramics were of a pure-phase cubic perovskite structure. All ceramics showed large dielectric constants. For the x = 0.12 sample, a very high dielectric constant (>20,600) was observed. A lowering in the dielectric loss compared to pure BFT ceramics was observed with the BZT addition. The impedance measurements indicated that BZT has a strong effect on the bulk grain and grain boundary resistance of BFT ceramics. These results are in agreement with the measured dielectric properties. Based on dielectric and impedance results, (1−x)BFT-xBZT ceramics could be of great interest for high performance dielectric materials applications due their giant dielectric constant behavior.     

Structural and electrical properties of nanostructured cerium phosphate

Cerium phosphate nanomaterials with different morphologies and sizes were synthesized via a hydrothermal process at 150 °C using cetyl-trimethyl-ammonium-bromide and ethylene-diamine-tetra acid as surfactants. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope. A possible growth mechanism was proposed to reveal the formation process. The structural properties and the electrical conductivities of CePO₄ nanomaterials were studied. The activation energies were obtained from Arrhenius plots where E _a?=?1.06 eV. The ac conductivity at different temperatures for CePO₄ nanomaterials showed frequency independence in the lower frequency range. The dielectric measurements were carried out as a function of frequency and temperature. Variation of the dielectric properties and the ac conductivity with frequency revealed that the dispersion is due to a Maxwell-Wagner type of interfacial polarization in general.     

Finely-reconciled high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss in ternary polymer/Cr2C3/montmorillonite composite films by filler-synergy strategy

Polymer/conductive ceramic composites with high dielectric constant have become research hotspot of dielectric capacitor materials. However, the conductivity and dielectric loss increase when high dielectric constant is achieved. In order to reconcile high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss, in this study, poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/chromium carbide (Cr₂C₃)/montmorillonite (MMT) ternary composite films were prepared by solution cast. Dielectric response based on interfacial polarization was improved and dielectric constant of composites was increased. MMT ceramic was used to suppress interface leakage current. Compared with PVDF/Cr₂C₃ composites, the conductivity and dielectric loss of ternary composites were reduced.     

Transport and dielectric properties of lisicon

The ionic and electronic conductivities of Lisicon with compositions Li₁₄Zn(GeO₄)₄-(A) and Li₁₂Zn₂(GeO₄)₄-(B) have been determined in the temperature range 306–578 K. It has thus been shown that the ionic transport number is nearly unity throughout the temperature range. The activation energies for lithium motion were found to be 0.6 eV and 0.47 eV for compounds A and B. These values are very close to the values of the heat of transport q¹_Li⁺ 0.59 eV and 0.50 eV respectively, obtained from thermoelectric power (θ_t) measurements. The total ionic conductivity of the pellets of Lisicon was found to decrease with increasing average grain size in the range 20–78 μ. Electrode effects on the ionic conductivity are also reported for silver and TiS₂ electrodes. The electron/hole conductivity was studied using the Wagner cell technique. The activation energies for electron and hole transport for A were estimated as 1.02 eV and 1.39 eV and for B as 0.89 eV and 1.49 eV, respectively. The variation of the dielectric parameters ?', ?” and tan δ have been studied for sample A between 10 Hz-100 kHz. The high frequency dielectric constant (at 100 kHz) was 21.4. The ?' versus ?” (Cole-Cole plot) is also presented.     

Hopping conduction in disordered carbon nanotubes

We report electrical transport measurements on individual disordered multiwalled carbon nanotubes, grown catalytically in a nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide template. In both as-grown and annealed types of nanotubes, the low-field conductance shows an exp[−(T₀/T)^1/2] dependence on temperature T, suggesting that hopping conduction is the dominant transport mechanism, albeit with different disorder-related coefficients T₀. The electric field dependence of low-temperature conductance behaves as exp[−(ξ₀/ξ)^1/2] at high electric field ξ at sufficiently low T. Finally, both annealed and unannealed nanotubes exhibit weak positive magnetoresistance at . Comparison with theory indicates that our data are best explained by Coulomb-gap variable-range hopping conduction and permits the extraction of disorder-dependent localization length and dielectric constant.     

Enhanced dielectric properties and energy storage density of interface controlled ferroelectric BCZT-epoxy nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites with ferroelectric fillers are promising materials for modern power electronics that include energy storage devices. Ferroelectric filler, Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ (BCZT) nanopowder, was synthesized by sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the phase purity and the particle size distribution was determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Extended aromatic ligand in the form of naphthyl phosphate (NPh) was chosen for surface passivation of BCZT nanoparticles. Surface functionalization was validated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and impedance spectroscopy using slurry technique. The dielectric constant of surface-passivated BCZT nanopowder was ~155, whereas pristine BCZT nanopowder dielectric constant could not be assessed due to high innate surface conductivity. Furthermore, BCZT–epoxy nanocomposite films were prepared and analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dielectric spectroscopy, dielectric breakdown strength (DBS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Owning to stronger polymer–particle interface, dielectric measurements of 5 vol.% NPh surface functionalized BCZT–epoxy nanocomposites indicated improved DBS and glass transition temperature (T_g), reduced dielectric loss, and enhanced energy storage density compared to untreated BCZT–epoxy composites and pure epoxy. The energy storage density of 30 vol.% NPh surface functionalized BCZT–epoxy nanocomposite of 20 μm film thickness was almost three times that of pure epoxy polymer of identical film thickness.     

Correlation between defect structures and dielectric constant in gallia-doped rutile (TiO2)

Dielectric constants and a.c. resistivities of rutile (TiO₂) doped with gallia (Ga₂O₃) have been measured as a function of frequency in the range 30–60 kHz at 20°C. The specimens were prepared by heating rutile single crystals on Ga₂O₃ pellets, at 1300°C, in air for various times. The dielectric constants depend on the frequency of measurement. In the c axis, the dielectric constant at low frequencies (30–100 Hz) increases as the sample heating time is extended to 1 week, but it decreases rapidly when the heating time is prolonged over 1 week. However, in the a axis, the dielectric constant does not change from the value of the starting material, being independent of the heating time. Besides dielectric measurements, the defect structures were determined using transmission electron microscopy, which showed that low concentrations of planar faults on {120} planes occur. The changes in dielectric constant are interpreted as being due to space change effects associated with Ga³⁺ ions located in the tunnels which lie parallel to the rutile c axis. Calculations are also included which show why other defects in the crystals have no effect on the value of the dielectric constant compared to pure rutile.     

Preparation of α-Fe2O3 nanotubes via electrospinning and research on their catalytic properties

In this paper, smooth α-Fe₂O₃ nanotubes have been successfully synthesized by electrospinning of ferric nitrate–polyvinyl alcohol solution followed by calcination in air. The morphologies and structures of the samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The catalytic properties were studied by differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicated that the as-prepared α-Fe₂O₃ nanotubes showed a continuous morphology and an extremely high degree of crystallization. The average inner and outer diameters of the obtained α-Fe₂O₃ nanotubes were about 60 nm and 100 nm, respectively. The obtained α-Fe₂O₃ nanotubes were able to lower the temperature of the high-temperature thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate, while they had little effect on the crystallographic phase transformation and the low-temperature thermal decomposition.     

Percolative dielectric behavior of wet chemical synthesized lead lanthanum titanate-cobalt iron oxide composite thin films

We have investigated the electrical and magnetic properties of solution synthesized Pb_0.85La_0.15TiO₃-CoFe₂O₄ composite thin films. These composite films exhibit both polarization as well as magnetic hysteresis characteristics at room temperature. The dielectric constant of the composite films is found to increase remarkably up to 6.0 vol% CFO contents. The increase of the dielectric constant and loss tangent follow a general percolation model originally developed for metal-ceramic composites. It is argued that Maxwell-Wagner polarization, as well as diffusion of transition metal cation(s) from CFO to PLT15 lattice are responsible for the percolative behavior of the dielectric properties in these films.