Abstract
Anhydrous α-alum materials doped with the trivalent samarium oxide Sm2O3 and denoted as KAl(SO4)2:xSm (x = 0; 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5% mol.) are prepared by the solid-state reaction method at 350 °C. The resulting phases are crystallized in a simple hexagonal structure with space group P321. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared (IR), and Raman spectroscopies confirmed a high purity of phases with variation in lattice parameters according to the amount of doping.Optical measurements through absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies in the ultra-violet and visible regions prove the different electronic transitions between excited levels and 6H5/2 ground state of Sm3+, the incorporation of samarium in the crystal structure, and suggest the quenching phenomenon.The materials presented in the study showed an ionic semiconductor behavior with an increase in their conductivity as a function of the doping level. A 1D conduction is made according to the Correlated Barrier Hopping CBH model by cations mobility in crystalline sites under the effect of thermal agitation in the [170–250 °C] region. KAl(SO4)2: xSm (x = 1.5% mol.) with its lower activation energy value, is suggested as a suitable cathode material for aluminum-based batteries.
Published Version
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