Electrical, dielectric and spectroscopic studies on MnO doped LiI–AgI–B2O3 glasses

Abstract

LiI–AgI–B2O3 glasses doped with different concentrations of MnO (ranging from 0 to 0.8 mol%) were prepared. Electrical and dielectric properties have been studied over a wide frequency range of 10−2 – 106 Hz and in the temperature range from 173 to 523 K. The valence states of manganese ions and their coordination in the glass network have been investigated using optical absorption, luminescence, and ESR spectroscopy. The analysis of the spectroscopic results has indicated that the manganese ions exist in both Mn2+ and Mn3+ states and occupy octahedral and tetrahedral positions. With increasing MnO concentration there is a gradual increase in the tetrahedral occupancy of Mn2+ ions at the expense of octahedral occupancy in the glass network. The results of dc conductivity have indicated that when T > θD/2, the small polaron hopping model is appropriate and the conduction is adiabatic in the nature. Further, the analysis of experimental data indicates that there is a mixed, ionic and electronic, conduction. It has been observed that the electrical conductivity decreases as the concentration of MnO increases suggesting the electronic conduction controlled by polaron hopping between manganese ions. In the low temperature region, up to 250 K, the ac conductivity is nearly temperature independent and varies linearly with frequency, which can be explained by the quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) model. The dielectric properties have been analyzed in the framework of complex dielectric permittivity and complex electrical modulus formalisms. The evolution of the complex permittivity as a function of frequency and temperature has been investigated.