Dependent Dielectric Constant Research Articles

Dynamic monitoring of dielectric properties during two phase immiscible displacements in sand packs using frequency domain electromagnetic sweeps

Electromagnetic heating is a promising soil remediation method especially in thin formations. The lack of a wide-spread adoption of this method stems from insufficient knowledge of how the complex dielectric properties, that govern propagation of the electromagnetic waves through porous media, change with changing frequency, water saturation, displacement types and flow regimes. To breach these gaps several sets of spontaneous deionized (DI) water imbibition experiments, followed by the primary drainage floods, that were followed by the secondary DI water imbibition floods in confined uniform sand packs were performed. The frequency domain relative dielectric constant and conductivities were extracted from the two-port complex S-parameter measurements taken with the vector network analyzer during these immiscible displacements at various water saturation levels at ambient conditions. A novel coaxial transmission line core holder was designed and commissioned, and a modified version of a plane-invariant dielectric extraction algorithm was developed for this purpose. Series, parallel and semi-disperse mixing models were applied to fit the water saturation dependent relative dielectric constant and conductivity values sampled at 500 MHz from the extracted frequency domain spectra. The Maxwell-Garnett parallel model was proved to be the most flexible because it could capture the sampled conductivity values in all secondary imbibition floods before and after the breakthroughs, where the inflection points were observed. These inflection points were attributed to silica production and a potential shear-stripping flow. This observation was further confirmed by conducting a single-phase Darcy's law analysis of two DI water imbibition floods.

Effect of rare earth dopant on the ac conductivity and dielectric study of GeSbSe chalcogenides glasses

Chalcogenides glasses Ge17Sb8Se75-xErx with composition x = 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.0 have been synthesized by conventional melt quenching technique and its dielectric and ac conductivity studies have been carried out in the temperature and frequency range 300–334 K and 5 kHz–20 kHz, respectively. Dielectric constant dependence on temperature and frequency was established for orientation polarization in the system. Dielectric loss variations with temperature and frequency were described by the conduction loss as well as single polaron hopping of charge carriers (Elliot and Shimakawa theory) for chalcogenides glasses. Correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model is used to interpret relation between temperature and frequency exponent. It was observed that with increase in frequency, both dielectric constant and dielectric loss decreases and increases with the increase in temperatures. The compositional variation in the dielectric parameters and conduction mechanism has also been explored.

Structural, piezoelectric and ferroelectric analysis of 0.96Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3: xwt%MnO2 ceramics for high-tech applications

With the rapid growth to design and engineer the smart and efficient electronic devices like piezoelectric sensors, the surge for the materials with multifunctional properties have risen tremendously. Herein, a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) existent 0.94(Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3)-0.06BaTiO3 (BNBT) ceramics have been fabricated and the influence of additive MnO2 (0–0.20 wt%) has been examined, via structural, morphological, ferroelectric and dielectric analysis. Keeping the MPB region stable, BNBT:0.15Mn ceramic has shown the much improved results with remnant polarization (Pr) of 38.72 μC/cm2, piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of 211 pC/N, and dielectric constant (ϵr) of 4502, sample has maintained its stable d33 value (198 pC/N) till 200 °C. Moreover, the dielectric constant dependence on temperature analysis has been observed to analyze the Curie temperature (TC) of the samples, where BNBT:0.15Mn ceramic has exhibited the TC of ∼335 °C, which is the main reason of achieving the stable piezoelectric effect till 200 °C. Present study not only provides the new direction for the material engineering but also demonstrates the potential of the reported material for high-temperature piezoelectric sensors.

Resurrection of Hückel’s idea: Decoupling ion–ion and ion–water terms in activity coefficients via the state-dependent dielectric constant

Although Hückel proposed the basic idea of using a concentration dependent dielectric constant, ϵ(c), to compute the activity coefficients of ions in electrolytes in 1925 (Hückel, 1925), a large amount of modeling studies appeared in the literature only after 2010 when we published our II+IW theory (Vincze et al., 2010) that splits the excess chemical potential into two terms corresponding to interactions between ions (II) and interactions between ions and water (IW). In this approach, the two terms are decoupled, which means that they can be computed independently with ϵ(c) being the only link between them. Here, we review our theory and other works based on Hückel’s suggestion by discussing several issues that are partly cornerstones of the theory, partly make it possible to put the theory into a larger context. These issues include the role of ϵ(c) and the ionic radii used in the II and IW term, the statistical mechanical methods to estimate the II term, the existence and interpretation of individual activities, phenomena associated with strong ionic correlations in multivalent electrolytes, and explicit-water models used in molecular dynamics simulations.

Studies of Dielectric Characteristics of Polymer Films in a High-Frequency Electromagnetic Field

Establishing the relationship between the structure of solids, on the one hand, and macroscopic physical properties, on the other, makes it possible to obtain detailed information about the structure and nature of interactions in the system involved. The solution to this problem makes it possible to formulate recommendations for the creation of materials with specified properties. In this work, much attention is paid to polymer films of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene (1,2-SPB). The properties of polymer films differ from the properties of bulk materials of the same chemical composition as films. The polymer (1,2-SPB) has an amorphous, irregular structure and, due to its significant irregular structure and makeup, has important electrical, physical and chemical properties. Its physical properties make this polymer promising for use in various fields of mechanical engineering, agriculture, construction, and healthcare. The paper reports the results of a study of relaxation processes by the method of thermoactivation spectroscopy of a relatively new polymer - syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene. The mechanisms of deformation and relaxation polarization are described and studied in detail. A technique for preparing samples and processing the experimental results of the dielectric characteristics of polymer films are described. Dielectric measurements were performed using a standard R-571 bridge. Experimental temperature dependences of dielectric constant, dielectric loss factor and loss tangent before and after exposure to a high-frequency electromagnetic field are shown. An atomic force microscopy (AFM) survey of a 1,2-SPB polymer film is presented. Particle analysis by AFM provides a unique opportunity to determine the size and shape of particles.

Dielectric, nonlinear optical and optical limiting properties of chelated bimetallic metal-organic framework

Single crystals of the chelated bimetallic metal-organic framework (MOF) of strontium and calcium of the ligand EDTA, with dielectric and nonlinear optical properties have been grown by gel diffusion technique. The compound belongs to the monoclinic space group C 2/c with unit cell parameters a = 19.597(3) Å, b = 11.5595(19) Å, c = 16.010(3) Å, α = 90°, β = 95.646(5)° and γ = 90°. Further characterization of the crystal was done by CHN analysis, FT–IR, FT-Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. Using UV–visible spectroscopy, optical parameters of the MOF were investigated. The frequency dependence of dielectric loss and dielectric constant of the crystal were studied. Z scan studies have been applied to find out third order nonlinear optical parameters of the grown MOF. Optical limiting threshold of the compound was also studied.

Thermal dependence of soft mode frequency, dielectric constant, and tangent loss in lead hydrogen phosphate (LHP) crystal

Ferroelectric materials have promising uses in modulators, infrared detectors, data storage devices, and other circuits. The ferroelectric properties in LHP crystallites are investigated theoretically in the study that followed, with some modifications, including the incorporation of fourth and third-orderphonon anharmonic connections, indirect connections, four-body connections, and electric field terms. We will take into account the PLCM model Hamiltonian. Calculations of soft mode frequency, loss tangent, and dielectric constant for said LHP crystal have been computed by using Green's function methodology. The analysis has been done mathematically by putting numerous model values into theoretical expressions that have been established, as well as thermal perturbations of soft mode frequency, Tangent loss (dielectric loss) and dielectric constant have been established. The findings of this study for the LHP crystal are quite well consistent with Negran et al studies of experimental data.

Composition-spread epitaxial ferroelectric thin films for temperature-insensitive functional devices

Ba<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sr<sub>1–<i>x</i></sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> (BST) ferroelectric thin films are widely used in microwave tunable devices due to their high dielectric constants, strong electric field tunabilities and low microwave losses. However, because of the temperature dependence of dielectric constant in ferroelectric material, the high-tunability for conventional single component ferroelectric thin film can only be achieved in the vicinity of Curie Temperature (<i>T</i><sub>C</sub>) which leads the ferroelectric thin films to be difficult to operate in a wide temperature range. To obtain ferroelectric thin films for temperature stable functional devices, single composition Ba<sub>0.2</sub>Sr<sub>0.8</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> thin films, Ba<sub>0.5</sub>Sr<sub>0.5</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> thin films, and Ba<sub>0.2</sub>Sr<sub>0.8</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub>/Ba<sub>0.5</sub>Sr<sub>0.5</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> heterostructure thin films are deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). By comparing their dielectric properties in a wide temperature range, it is found that the temperature sensitivity of BST film can be effectively reduced by introducing a composition gradient along the epitaxial direction. However, the heterostructure engineering may bring extra troubles caused by interfaces, which may limit the quality factor <i>Q</i>. In this paper, we extend our combinatorial film deposition technique to ferroelectric materials, and we successfully fabricate in-plane composition-spread Ba<sub>1–<i>x</i></sub>Sr<sub><i>x</i></sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> thin films, which are expected to broaden the phase transition temperature ranges of BST films while avoiding the problem of interface control.

Electric characterization of transition metal (Co, Ni, Fe) doped ZnO thin layers prepared by atomic layer deposition

Doping of ZnO with different ions enables efficient control of its optical, electrical and magnetic properties. ZnO thin films doped with 3d transition metals have potential to be used as diluted magnetic semiconductors. In this work, dielectric and electrical properties of transition metal (Ni-, Co- or Fe-) doped ZnO thin films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) have been studied. Standard capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) as well as capacitance-frequency (C-f) characteristics have been measured. Some important parameters, e.g. the concentration of majority carriers N D, barrier height Ф b as well as the built-in potential Vbi are determined. Different polarization effects are considered to explain the strong frequency dependence of dielectric constant.

Phase-Transition Behaviors of Crystalline Hypophosphorous Acid and a Feasible Incommensurate Wave-like Array of the Proton Displacements from Each Center of Hydrogen Bonds along the 1-Dimensional Chain

Crystalline hypophosphorous acid, composed of strongly hydrogen-bonded chains, was investigated by adiabatic calorimetry in a temperature range between 20 and 306 K and by dielectrometry as a supplemental means. The heat-capacity curve showed subsequent phase transitions: a second-order one at 210.4 K followed by a first-order one at 159 K and the other two ones at 149 and 139.4 K with decreasing temperature. The total entropy of the transitions was assessed to be 0.35 J K–1 mol–1 by using the baseline heat capacities that were determined by means of a real-coded genetic algorithm. The small value was interpreted as the transitions were associated with displacements of the protons forming hydrogen bonds: namely, while they are located at the center between two oxygen atoms above 210.4 K, the protons are displaced close to one of the oxygen atoms with the bond length enlarged below it. Temperature dependence of dielectric constants displayed no sign, around 210 K, indicating the existence of (anti-)ferroelectricity. It was thus expected that the manner of off-center proton displacements along each hydrogen-bonded chain reveals a wave-like and incommensurate appearance below 210.4 K, referred to as the normal crystal lattice above it, and following locking to a wave-like but superlattice commensurate one at 159 K.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE PRIMARY MEASURING CONVERTER OF HUMIDITY TRANSFORMER OIL

Today, the vast majority of technological processes, both production and agriculture, are based on the use of electric machines. Among which, a significant part of production equipment requires the use of electric motors, the power of which exceeds hundreds of kilowatts. Such electric machines have also become widespread as generating equipment, where they are an integral part of power plants, both using traditional energy sources (thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, etc.), and renewable (hydroelectric power plants, wind farms, etc.), where the unit power of a single electrical machine is usually higher than in other sectors of economy. When operating such equipment, systems for monitoring a significant number of technological parameters are often used, and in real time it characterizes the modes of their operation. This approach makes it possible to increase the reliability of operation and, with a fairly high probability, to avoid large-scale man-made threats that can be caused by an emergency failure of power electric machines (including powerful electric generators), which are quite often accompanied by the destruction of supporting structures, structural elements of industrial premises and can pose a threat to the life and health of production personnel. But the use of even the most modern systems for monitoring the technical condition does not provide one hundred percent reliability, and when operating electrical machines with a nominal power of the order of units of MW Today, the vast majority of technological processes, both production and agriculture, are based on the use of electrical equipment. A similar situation occurs in the household sector, where we can also note a significant increase in energy consumption in recent decades. Given this, it is obvious the need to ensure the transfer of significant amounts of electricity, which is not possible without the use of transformers and power electric devices, the construction of the lion's share of which provides insulation of live parts and excess heat using transformer oil. Such equipment, in particular, includes: oil transformers, oil and low oil switches, which are characterized by a relatively low cost at sufficiently high rated currents and voltages. One of the most significant disadvantages of this equipment is the need for constant monitoring of the condition of transformer oil, the physical properties of which largely determine the dielectric strength and overload capacity of the equipment as a whole. The mass fraction of moisture in the latter is one of the key indicators that determine its dielectric and thermally conductive properties. Therefore, the existing technical regulations for the operation of the latter provide for regular laboratory examination of the physical properties of the latter during the technical inspection of equipment, which usually requires quite a lot of time. In turn, this leads to an increase in economic losses associated with increasing the duration of planned maintenance work. Therefore, given the above, it is obvious that the development of new high-precision means of rapid measurement of transformer oil humidity is an urgent task of considerable practical interest. The article presents a mathematical model of a transformer oil sample, which establishes an unambiguous relationship between its humidity and integral dielectric conductivity in the range of humidity changes from 0% to 0.6%, which corresponds to the allowable moisture content in the latter. It is shown that the obtained functional dependence of the integral dielectric constant on moisture within the investigated range has a monotonically increasing character. Also, the design of a high-frequency humidity sensor based on a band asymmetric wave-water wave was developed, in which the primary measuring conversion of humidity into the amplitude of the output electromagnetic wave is carried out. A mathematical model of such a sensor is developed and the transformation equation is obtained. To confirm the adequacy of the theoretical conclusions, an experimental study was conducted, based on which it was found that the total relative error does not exceed 2%.

Influence of concentration and temperature dependent dielectric constants on the thermodynamics of electrolytes

The symmetric Poisson–Boltzmann theory, the modified Poisson–Boltzmann theory, and the mean spherical approximation are utilized to calculate the osmotic coefficient, and the individual and mean activity coefficients of model KCl, LiCl, NaCl, and NaClO4 electrolytes all dissociated in water where the dielectric constant depends on concentration. The theories are also employed to compute the same thermodynamic quantities for HCl and NaCl solutions where the dielectric constant is now temperature dependent. In each situation the theoretical predictions are compared with the corresponding exact benchmark Monte Carlo simulation results. The mean spherical approximation and the modified Poisson–Boltzmann theory reproduce the simulation data for osmotic coefficient quantitatively and that for the mean activity almost quantitatively. The individual activities are accurately represented by the modified Poisson–Boltzmann theory but only qualitatively by the symmetric Poisson–Boltzmann and the mean spherical approximation. In general, the symmetric Poisson–Boltzmann theory shows good agreement with the simulations at low concentrations but deviates at higher concentrations.

Electroreflectance spectroscopy of few-layer MoS2 : Issues related to A1s exciton subspecies, exciton binding energy, and inter-layer exciton

Optical spectra of few-layer transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors reveal several transitions whose character and origins continue to be debated. We have studied hBN encapsulated few-layer MoS2 films using electroreflectance (ER) spectroscopy. Two strong features are seen in the reflectance spectrum of trilayer MoS2 around the ground state A–exciton transition. In ER, the corresponding features show opposite phase response to the applied voltage. Evidence from first principles ER line shape simulation and photoluminescence spectroscopy suggests that these two features are likely to be A1s exciton subspecies proposed earlier, whose energy depends on which layer the electron–hole pair is located in. The first excited state A2s exciton transition is also identifiable in ER. Through the two-dimensional hydrogenic exciton model, it enables an approximate estimation of the exciton binding energy Eb. The increase in Eb with decreasing film thickness, which originates from reduced dielectric screening, is phenomenologically analyzed through a film thickness and capping material dependent effective dielectric constant. Extending this idea, we show that the A1s exciton is mostly confined to a single S–Mo–S layer, as predicted by theory. An inter-layer (IL) exciton is expected in bilayer and thicker 2H-MoS2 films. However, we show that there can be bilayer films where the IL exciton is absent, which may be related to increased carrier concentration.

Temperature dependence of piezoelectric properties of PLZT in a smart structure

A piezoelectric material can be used as a sensor and actuator in active vibration control of a smart structure. The performance of the piezoelectric material is defined by piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant. These parameters vary with change in temperature. In this article, the temperature dependence of piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant is included in the constitutive equations of the piezoelectric materials. These modified constitutive equations are included in the finite element model of a smart structure instrumented with piezoelectric patches. Simulations are done in MATLAB® software for both modified and non-modified finite element model and shown in the results.

Effect of Ni content, temperature on the electrical and colorimetric properties of nano NixZn(1-x)O blue pigments

Nanosized Ni doped ZnO (NixZn1-xO, with 20 ≤ × ≤ 70) were synthesized by simple coprecipitation method at different calcinations temperature (400, 600, 800 and 1000 o C). All synthesized oxides well characterized by XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrical properties and the colorimetric parameters (CIEL L* a* b*) were measured. The results obviously show that Ni2+ ions incorporated into the ZnO structure without difficulty. For the highest concentration of Ni2+ for x = 0.40 and 0.70 of Ni2+ doping, the XRD revealed an extra diffraction peak characteristic to NiO, indicating an upper limit of Ni concentration. The crystallite size was discovered to be between 13 and 109 nm. With the addition of Ni to the ZnO, the temperature dependency of electrical conductivity of samples increases. The temperature dependence of dielectric constant of samples is found to decrease with incorporation of Ni in the solution. The samples show very good blue color with load 20% of Ni.

(Digital Presentation) Simulation of Agglomeration in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Catalyst Inks

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) are expected to use as a power source for new generation automobiles, especially heavy-duty vehicles because of their low environmental affection. To be widely spread, it is essential to increase their power output and reduce the cost of catalyst platinum. Since oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode is the dominant reaction, there is a need to improve the oxygen transport and proton conductivity. In recent years, porous carbon has been studied and it has been found its high activity and durability. However, the catalyst layer made of porous carbon gets a lower voltage than that made of non-porous carbon in the high current density area. This output reduction results from high oxygen transport resistance, but it is unclear how the porous structure influences the performance. So in this study, we assumed the following relation. Firstly, the difference in voltage at a high current density between carbons results in oxygen transport properties. Secondly, their properties depend on an effective oxygen diffusion coefficient, which is determined by the porous structure in the catalyst layer. And finally, the factor that attributes the catalyst layer structure is the size of the agglomerate in the catalyst ink because the catalyst layer is fabricated by the wet process. Therefore, we focused on the particle agglomeration process in catalyst ink and calculated the agglomerate behavior under various ink conditions using a numerical model. The differences in the agglomeration and its factors were also examined for carbon with different internal pores.A three-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) was used to calculate agglomeration. Initially, aggregates, the smallest unit of carbon black, were placed randomly in the cubic region. In this simulation, aggregates were regarded as spheres. The distance of movement was determined by solving the equation of motion. For each particle, the fluid drag, Brownian motion, and particle interactions were considered. The particle-particle interaction included the forces based on DLVO theory [1] and the ionomer effect. Several studies show that ionomer adsorbed on the carbon aggregates improves their stability. So it was assumed that the ionomer effect was the repulsive force and modeled using the same equation as for the EDL force. The dielectric constant dependence of this effect was used in the function previously reported by Magnus et al. [2]. The carbon particles assumed here were non-porous (Vulcan) and porous (Ketjen), and were coated with Pt particles. The initial average diameter of the aggregates was 300 nm. Hamaker coefficient was expressed as an average of the physical properties of platinum and carbon black, which was weighted by the percentage of platinum loaded on the surface of the carbon particles. The solvent was a mixture of 1-propanol (NPA) and water, and the dielectric constant of the ink was expressed as a weighted average of the composition ratio of water and NPA. The simulation was conducted under various water/alcohol ratios and ionomer/carbon ratios (I/C). From this model, it was confirmed that the carbon internal pores affect the size of the agglomerate in the catalyst ink.

Anomalous dielectric response in the triple perovskite ruthenate Ba3BiRu2O9

We have investigated the magnetic, dielectric and thermal properties of the S = 1 magnetic dimer Ba3BiRu2O9, which is known to exhibit a spin-gap opening in conjunction with a first-order magneto-elastic phase transition at ∼175 K. Above the spin-gap temperature, the temperature dependence dielectric constant shows a peak like feature with pronounced frequency dependence. The critical slowing down behavior of this frequency dispersion suggests that a ferroelectric relaxor like electrical glassy state exists above the spin-gap opening temperature regime. The extermination of frequency dispersion—right at the magneto-elastic phase transition, is suggestive of a strong coupling between the lattice and charge-spin degrees of freedom in this triple perovskite system.

Magnetodielectric effect and significant magnetoelectric coupling of Co3NiNb2O9 single crystal

A4B2O9 (A = Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, B = Nb, Ta) compounds with a corundum-type structure can host multiferroic phenomena and present magnetoelectric coupling to achieve manipulations of their ground states by external fields. High quality Ni-doped Co4Nb2O9 single crystals of Co3NiNb2O9 have been synthesized for the first time using optical floating zone technique. Co3NiNb2O9 exhibits an antiferromagnetic order at 32 K with an easy magnetization axis in the ab plane. Field-dependent magnetizations at 20 K along [100] and [120] directions have a slope change at 6 and 9 kOe, respectively, indicating a spin-flop transition or spin rotation in the ab plane. Temperature dependence of dielectric constants along [100] and [120] directions show a magnetic-field-induced peak near the antiferromagnetic transition, proving a sizable magnetodielectric effect. Pyroelectric currents along [100] and [120] directions also have a divergent behavior near the transition under magnetic fields, manifesting a magnetoelectric coupling effect. The electric polarization along [120] direction reaches 128 μC/m2 under a magnetic field of 40 kOe, larger than that in most phases of the A4B2O9 system.

Thickness dependence of dielectric constant of alumina films based on first-principles calculations

Optoelectronic properties of devices made of two-dimensional materials depend largely on the dielectric constant and thickness of a substrate. To systematically investigate the thickness dependence of dielectric constant from first principles, we have implemented a double-cell method based on a theoretical framework by Martyna and Tuckerman [J. Chem. Phys. 110, 2810 (1999)] and therewith developed a general and robust procedure to calculate dielectric constants of slab systems from electric displacement and electric field, which is free from material-specific adjustable parameters. We have applied the procedure to a prototypical substrate, Al2O3, thereby computing high-frequency and static dielectric constants of a finite slab as a function of the number of crystalline unit-cell layers. We find that two and four layers are sufficient for the high-frequency and static dielectric constants of (0001) Al2O3 slabs to recover 90% of the respective bulk values computed by a Berry-phase method. This method allows one to estimate the thickness dependence of dielectric constants for various materials used in emerging two-dimensional nanophotonics, while providing an analytic formula that can be incorporated into photonics simulations.

Enhanced magnetic, dielectric and photoconductive properties of Zr doped BiFeO3 nanostructures

Lead-free ferroelectric BiFe1-xZrxO3 (x = 0.0, 0.015, and 0.025) thin films with varying concentrations of Zr4+ ions were fabricated using nanoparticles synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the as-synthesized pure and Zr-doped nanoparticles possess distorted rhombohedral structures. The diffraction peak at 32° shifts to the lower angle with increase in Zr content. For higher concentration of Zr4+ ions (2.5% Zr-doped BFO), the impure phase Bi2Fe4O9 evolved and increased the leakage current. Both the SEM and TEM images of pure and doped samples exhibit irregularly shaped clusters of agglomerated nanocrystallites. The SAED pattern of the samples confirms that the samples are highly crystalline and the diffracted rings matched with the lattice planes of single-phase pristine bismuth ferrite (BFO). The Raman E modes of 1.5% Zr-doped BFO nanoparticles are relatively higher in intensity as compared to other samples and exhibited a very weak dependence of dielectric constant on frequency. On comparing, a 1.5% Zr-doped BFO sample showed lowest dielectric constant (∼79) at 1 kHz due to the filling of oxygen vacancies by Zr4+ ions and hence displayed a significant photocurrent of ∼3.10 μA at 5 V. However, for 2.5% Zr dopant concentration, the dielectric constant is quite high at 1 kHz due to the reduction of Fe3+ ion and increased oxygen vacancies; and consequently showed very feeble photocurrent of ∼9.00 nA at 5 V. Furthermore, higher ferromagnetic ordering between Fe3+ and Zr4+ in 2.5% Zr-doped BFO nanostructure has resulted in larger remnant magnetization of 0.585 emu/g. The present study confirms that the optimum concentration of Zr ions substituted at the Fe-site of BiFeO3 reduces the leakage current and improves its photoconductive properties. Besides, the aging problem of BFO nanostructures caused by oxygen vacancies due to the reorientation of dipoles can be significantly reduced through Zr doping. Hence, the enhanced temperature-dependent photo sensing properties of doped BFO nanostructures are more suitable to serve as an active layer in self-powered photodetector systems.