Gamma-irradiation effects on the electrical conductivity of pure and Cu-doped Fe3O4 spinel

The electrical conductivity and IR-spectra of pure and Cu-doped Fe₃O₄ spinels were measured at 300–1000 K. Two breaks in the conductivity-temperature curves have been observed for all investigated pure and doped samples. One of these two breaks were found near the Curie point of the investigated spinel. The electrical conduction in -irradiated and non-irradiated pure and Cu-doped Fe₃O₄ occurred by a hopping mechanism due to a fast electron exchange between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺-ions present on octahedral sites. The Seebeck-voltage of the irradiated and non-irradiated pure and Cu-doped samples has been measured. The effect of -irradiation on the conductivity values //, activation energy and type of defects was discussed.