Investigations on the Structural and Electrical Properties of Sm3+-Doped Nickel Ferrite–Based Ceramics

Abstract

Compositions of ferrimagnetic NiSmxFe2−xO4 (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) ceramics were synthesized by the self-propagating sol-gel autocombustion method. Structural information was found using X-ray diffraction. It reveals that all the ceramics possess cubic symmetry of spinel ferrite with a small amount of orthoferrite phase SmFeO3, which is a ferroelectric material. The amount of phases and lattice parameter were determined by the Rietveld refinement method using the Fullprof suite software. As doping concentration increases, the secondary phase fraction of the ferroelectric SmFeO3 also increases. Due to the increase of the ferroelectric phase in NiFe2O4, the electrical properties of doped samples also modify. To know this modification, the electrical properties of these samples have been investigated. The room temperature dielectric and complex impedance analysis have been measured in the frequency range of 1–106 Hz. The dielectric behavior for x = 0.05 concentration (NiSm0.05Fe1.95O4) has a maximum dielectric constant value with a minimal loss tangent. Cole-Cole plot brings out the role of grain and grain boundaries in the bulk. Using impedance study, the resistance and capacitance of grain and grain boundaries have been determined. The ferroelectric behavior has been performed through the P-E (polarization versus electric field) and J-E (leakage current versus electric field) curves at room temperature.