Non-overlapping Small Polaron Tunneling Research Articles

Effect of rare earth (Ho and Er) co-substitution on the magnetic and dielectric properties of nanocrystalline cobalt ferrites

Nanocrystalline cobalt ferrites co-substituted with rare earth Ho and Er (CoFe2-2xHoxErxO4, 0 ≤x≤0.10) have been synthesized via the sol-gel method. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed the single-phase spinel structure with reduced crystallite sizes (65 nm–12 nm), micro-strain (ε) and increased lattice constant (a) with Ho–Er co-substitution. Rietveld refinement and theoretical computation revealed Ho and Er occupancy at octahedral sites and Fe and Co ions redistribution between the tetrahedral and octahedral sites. Infrared spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) supported the formation of the desired spinel structure, aggregated spherical morphology, chemical stoichiometry and elemental states. Magnetic measurements showed a systematic decrease in saturation magnetization (Ms), magnetocrystalline anisotropy (K1), coercivity (Hc) and Curie temperature (Tc) with Ho–Er co-substitution. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) exhibited asymmetric resonance peaks, reduced resonance field (Hr), linewidth (ΔHpp) and deviation in Lande g values. Impedance spectroscopy revealed two conduction mechanisms (holes and electrons) with distinct activation energies (EaI and EaII). Modulus spectrum analysis confirmed the thermally activated sample-electrode effects and the Nyquist plots indicated the dominant contribution of the grain boundary resistance to the conduction process. A notable enhancement in the dielectric constant (ε′) was observed with Ho–Er co-substitution. The ac conductivity (σac) followed the Jonscher Power Law (JPL). The temperature-dependent frequency exponent s(T), suggests the existence of two conduction mechanisms: non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) and correlated barrier hopping (CBH).

Contribution of strong electron-phonon interaction in the transport properties of La0.8Ca0.2Mn0.5Ni0.5O3 system

La0.8Ca0.2Mn0.5Ni0.5O3 NTC (negative thermal coefficient) thermo-sensitive material was prepared using a conventional solid-state reaction method. From the structural results, we found that the material is pure and crystallizes in the orthorhombic structure with a Pnma space group. It is found that the La0.8Ca0.2Mn0.5Ni0.5O3 ceramic can be used as an NTC thermistor compound in specific temperature sensors and attenuators. Based on Holsten's theory, detailed electrical investigations concerning the nature of the activated small polaron hopping mechanism were reported. The temperature dependence of the DC conductance was used to determine the electrical conduction processes that govern the transport properties of La0.8Ca0.2Mn0.5Ni0.5O3. Hence, the DC mechanisms exhibit changes from the variable range hopping at very low temperatures to the non-adiabatic small polaronic hopping at T = 210 K. In the intermediate temperature range, the semiconductor behavior of La0.8Ca0.2Mn0.5Ni0.5O3 was attributed to the contribution of the tunneling transport process. At various temperatures, the conductance spectra were discussed based on Jonscher and Bruce's laws. Contributions of the overlapping-large-polaron-tunneling, the correlated barrier hopping, the quantum mechanical tunneling, and the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling mechanisms to the transport properties were observed in the dispersive region of the conductance spectra. In addition, Summerfield scaling and corrected Summerfield scaling approaches prove that the charge mobility is temperature-dependent. The positive value of the correction parameter α = 1.2 confirms the presence of interactions in the studied sample.

Temperature and Frequency Dependence of Conductivity, Density of States, and Dielectric Permittivity of Ternary Metal Chalcogenide PbSnSe2 flake

The mechanically cleaved flake of ternary metal chalcogenide PbSnSe2 was transferred onto the interdigitated electrodes to form electrical contacts. The temperature dependent (180 K – 250 K) electrical properties were then analyzed employing complex impedance spectroscopy from 2 kHz - 2MHz. A detailed analysis of Nyquist plots proposed the space charge dependent behavior and negative temperature coefficient of PbSnSe2 flake. The AC conductivity followed Jonscher’s power law with -parameter value being less than unity. The values of -parameter increased with rise in temperature suggesting the presence of non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) in the PbSnSe2 flake. From this NSPT model, tunneling distance, hopping energy, and density of states (DOS) were estimated at temperatures from 180 K – 250 K. The dielectric permittivity showed dispersion at lower frequencies and the tangent loss was also found to be directly related to temperature. A single semicircular arc in complex modulus analysis showed the dominance of bulk effect in the material.

Structural, optical, and impedance spectroscopy of the pseudobrookite Pb0·5Ba0·5Fe2O5 synthesized by sol–gel route

Pseudobrookite of general formula Pb0·5Ba0·5Fe2O5 was synthesized by the sol–gel route. X-ray diffraction confirms the orthorhombic Pnma space group of our sample. UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy was used to characterize this material's optical properties. We used the Tauc model and absorption measurements to estimate the direct optical band gap at 3.53 eV. We also calculate the Urbach energy, the optical extinction coefficient, and the refractive index. In addition, the skin depth, optical conductivity, and Cauchy parameters were investigated in relation to the incident photon's wavelength. Electrical conductivity data flow the Jonscher's power law and show that PBFO has two different conducts; Semiconductor behavior in the temperatures region [400 K–520 K]. Then, a metallic trend was detected beyond TS-M = 520 K. The correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model is the appropriate model to describe the conduction process in low temperature range. On the other hand, the conduction is ensured by the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) at high temperature zone. The scaling study shows that the conductivity spectra deviate from Summerfield and Ghosh scaling. The random barrier model (RBM) is employed to correct the Summerfield approach and we note that the conductivity isotherms are combined into a single master curve. The estimated activation energies values from dc-conductivity, hopping frequency and relaxation time are very close. The behavior of dielectric parameters was examined using the Maxwell-Wagner theory of interfacial polarization. The dielectric-relaxation phenomenon is shown by the behaviors of imaginary parts of impedance (Z″) and modulus (M″). The ideal electrical equivalent circuit for simulating the Nyquist curves (i.e. Z′′(Z′)) for our pseudobrookite is (Rg + Rgb//CPEgb). Finally, the entropy (ΔS), and enthalpy (ΔH) were established as thermodynamic parameters.

Structural, morphological, optical, magnetic and impedance spectroscopic properties of Ni0·5Fe2·5O4 nanoparticles synthesized by the self-combustion method

The synthesis of Ni0·5Fe2·5O4 nanoparticles was successfully carried out by the self-combustion method using glycine as fuel. Analysis of the XRD measurements indicates the formation of a cubic spinel monophase with the space group (Fd-3m) and a nanometric crystallite size. According to the optical study, this sample shows strong absorption in the visible range with a gap energy of 3.7 eV, making it a good candidate for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications. Complex impedance spectroscopy was carried out in the temperature range 300–480 K with the frequency varying between 40 Hz and 5 MHz. The frequency dependence of the dielectric constant was explained in terms of charge carrier transport between Fe2+ and Fe3+, while its temperature dependence indicates dielectric relaxor behavior. The scaling law shows a perfect superposition of impedance and modulus spectrum in the temperature range studied which confirms that the increase of temperature does not bring any change on the mechanism of relaxation. For the electrical properties, the conductivity study shows a semiconducting behavior with a predominance of the Non-Overlapping Small Polaron Tunneling (NSPT) model over the conduction process. The dc conductivity and jump frequency are positively correlated by the extracted activation energies. Summerfield scaling leads to the superposition of the conductance spectra into a single main curve, confirming the validity of this approach. The low value of the dielectric loss and the high value of the permittivity at room temperature and at low frequencies make this sample a potential candidate for energy storage and microwave devices. In addition, the dependence of the magnetisation on the applied magnetic field has been studied in depth by adjusting the hysteresis cycle by different laws of the saturation approach.

Synthesis, crystal structure, BFDH morphology, Hirshfeld surface analysis and electrical characterization of the new bi-(2-amino-5-methylpyridinium) hexa-chlorostannate compound

The Organic–inorganic hybrid compounds have attracted considerable attention for their scientific and technological potential according to their wide field application. In this paper, we describe the preparation of a new hybrid crystal, with the structural formula [C6H9N2]2SnCl6, of which crystallographic, BFDH morphology, Hirshfeld and complex impedance spectroscopy have been studied and analyzed. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the title compound crystallized in the centrosymmetric space group P21/c of the monoclinic system. The powder XRD is used to confirm the phase purity of the sample and the crystalline nature of the powder.The [C6H9N2]2SnCl6 crystal morphologies are simulated from the Laue symmetry (2/m), and from the space group symmetry (P21/c), which highlighted the effect of the screw axe 21 and the glide plane c in reducing the Importance morphology in the constructed model considering the space group symmetry. The intermolecular interactions studied using Hirshfeld surfaces showed the important contribution of H⋯Cl/Cl⋯H intercontacts (67.1 %) in the [C6H9N2]2SnCl6 crystal packing.The analysis of real and imaginary parts impedance spectra shows that the electrical properties are heavily dependent on frequency and temperature, indicating a relaxation phenomenon and semiconductor-type behavior. The Nyquist plot (-Z″ vs Z′) showed only one semicircular arc, representing the grain effect in the electrical conduction. The obtained results were analyzed by fitting the experimental data to an equivalent circuit model R/CPE/C. The Alternating current conductivity (σAC) follows Jonscher's power law. The latter confirmed that the conduction is insured by the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling model (NSPT) model, which has been studied in depth.

An investigation of structural, thermal, and electrical conductivity properties for understanding transport mechanisms of CuWO4 and α-CuMoO4 compounds.

Recently, inorganic oxide components with high ionic conductivity have been widely explored due to their high stability, safety, and energy density properties. In this context, the present work focuses on the inorganic oxides CuMO4 (M = W, Mo), which have been successfully synthesized using the traditional solid-state method. They were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, thermal analysis, and complex impedance spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction data refined via the Rietveld method indicated that these compounds are well crystallized in the triclinic system with the P1̄ space group. Besides, the electrical conductivity behavior of these materials was analyzed using the impedance spectroscopy technique in the frequency range of 100 to 106 Hz and in the temperature range of 443 K to 563 K. The absence of a phase transition observed in the calorimetric study was confirmed by the σg and ωh variations as a function of temperature. The AC conductivity was analyzed by Jonscher's power law. The outcomes of the study on charge transportation in CuMO4 (where M = W, Mo) suggest that the overlapping large polaron tunneling (OLPT) mechanism was present in CuMoO4, while the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) and the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) were present in CuWO4. A correlation between the crystal structure and the ionic conductivity was established and discussed. For the two title compounds, modulus analysis revealed that the charge carriers were mobile over short and long distances at low and high frequencies, respectively. The temperature variation of the M'' peak showed a thermally activated relaxation process.

Cu and Er modified barium zirconium titanate (BaZr0.05Ti0.95O3) ceramics: Composition-dependent dielectric properties

Cu2+ and Er3+ doped BaZr0.05Ti0.95O3 (BZT) ceramics were prepared using the solid-state reaction method, where amount of CuO + Er2O3 was fixed at 2 wt.% and different CuO : Er2O3 molar ratios (i.e. 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1 and 3:1) were used. The influence of Cu2+ and Er3+ doping on crystal structure and dielectric properties of the samples sintered at 1300 ?C was investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of a single-phase material and tetragonal crystal structure with P4mm symmetry. Microstructural analysis conducted with a scanning electron microscope revealed well-defined and uniformly distributed grains across the surface of the sintered samples and reduction of grain size and density with doping. The highest energy storage density of 40.51mJ/cm3 with an energy efficiency of 78.8% was obtained in the sample with CuO : Er2O3 molar ratio of 2:1. The doped BZT ceramics have high dielectric constant and significantly lower tangent loss in comparison to the undoped BZT. The dielectric data confirm the non-Debye behaviour for all the samples. Impedance spectroscopy and electrical modulus analysis indicated that conduction in the materials was influenced by both the grains and grain boundaries. The AC conductivity is described by the Jonscher?s universal power law, whereas DC conductivity follows a dependency based on the Arrhenius?s theory. The results revealed a conduction mechanism characterized by non-overlapping small Polaron tunnelling up to 340?C and a transition to correlated barrier hopping conduction above 340?C within the selected temperature range for all the samples. According to the Arrhenius fitting of DC conductivity the activation energy of the undoped BaZr0.05Ti0.95O3 sample is 0.168 eV and decrease with doping to 0.138 and 0.131 eV for the sample with lower Cu2+ contents (CuO : Er2O3 molar ratios of 1:2 and 1:3, respectively).

Morphological, structural, optical and dielectric analysis of Cs2TiBr6 perovskite nanoparticles.

In the pursuit of lead-free perovskite materials suitable for harnessing solar energy, a recent discovery has emerged regarding Cs2TiBr6. This compound has garnered attention as a prospective candidate, exhibiting favorable optical and electrical characteristics alongside exceptional resilience when subjected to environmental strains. This study details the successful synthesis of non-hazardous metal halide nanoparticles of Cs2TiBr6via the slow cooling method. Comprehensive investigations into the structural, optical, and dielectric characteristics have been undertaken. The temperature sensitivity of various electrical properties, including the dielectric constant, loss factor, electric modulus, and AC/DC conductivity, is evident in this perovskite material. This phenomenon is observed across a frequency range of 1 to 107 Hz. Furthermore, examination of the Nyquist plot highlights the distinctive contributions of both grain and grain boundaries to the overall impedance characteristics. In the high-frequency range, it is observed that the dielectric constant exhibits an upward trend as the temperature rises. Examination of the adapted Cole-Cole plot unveils that both space charge and free charge conductivity escalate with increasing temperature, while concurrently, the relaxation time experiences a reduction with the temperature's ascent. We observed an asymmetrical pattern in the electric modulus spectra at varying temperatures using a modified Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts equation. This asymmetry is consistent with the inherent non-Debye nature of perovskite materials. Additionally, as the temperature increases, we note a shift in the imaginary component of the electric modulus spectra, transitioning from a non-Debye character towards a semi-Debye nature, though it does not achieve a strictly Debye-type response. This transformation indicates the semiconducting properties of the material. We elucidate the AC conductivity behavior in Cs2TiBr6 by employing the non-overlapping small-polaron tunneling (NSPT) mechanism as the basis. The activation energy, as determined from both the modulus spectra and DC conductivity, aligns closely, providing robust evidence for the congruence between the relaxation dynamics and the conduction mechanism. In addition to these attributes, Cs2TiBr6 exhibits a substantial dielectric constant coupled with negligible dielectric loss, thus establishing its potential suitability for energy harvesting devices.

Synthesis of a scheelite barium molybdate: Structural, topological, electrical, and transport properties for negative temperature coefficient thermistor application

Preliminary structural analysis of Scheelite barium molybdate BaMoO4 (BMO) ceramic using NTREOR-09 and McMaille methods has confirmed the tetragonal symmetry with room temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum. Further, other structural parameters like crystallite size and compressive lattice strain are found to be of 31 nm and −0.00151 respectively. The topographical study of scanning electron microscope (SEM) image confirms the polycrystalline nature with no other impurities in the sample. Detailed analysis of dielectric permittivity (εr), and loss (tanδ) supports Maxwell-Wagner and Koop's phenomena. The non-overlapping small polaron tunnelling (NSPT) and correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model have emphasis on transport mechanism. The presence of semiconducting behavior of the scheelite material at various temperatures and frequencies examined by complex impedance and modulus spectra. The value of grain resistance decreases as temperature increases demonstrating the existence of negative temperature coefficient (NTCR) behavior of the material. The increase of the value of thermistor constant (β) (67.339, 516.613, and 772.485 in the different high-temperature range) suggests an efficient application of the material for NTC-thermistor.

Dielectric behavior and impedance spectroscopy of Niobium substituted Lanthanum based orthovanadates at high temperatures

We present the detailed study of the temperature dependent dielectric properties, impedance spectroscopy and electrical conductivity of LaV1−xNbxO4 (x=0–1) samples prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The dielectric constant (ϵr′) increases (decreases) with increase in the temperature (frequency); while, the magnitude of ϵr′ remains almost invariant (order of 104 at 100 Hz and 600 °C) with x. The single phase x=0 (monoclinic-monazite, P21/n) and x=1 (monoclinic fergusonite, I2/a) samples show the lower values of loss factor [tanδ= (4–8)] as compared to the x=0–0.8 samples [tanδ= (12–18)] having mixed tetragonal and monoclinic phases, which indicates the strong correlation between the crystal structure and the dielectric properties. The real part of impedance (Z′) decreases with both temperature and frequency, and the observed weak relaxation remains almost unaltered with x. The imaginary part of impedance (Z′′) shows strong relaxation peaks shifting towards higher temperatures with frequency, which is attributed to the effect of grains, grain boundaries, and electrodes in the samples. The activation energy of the relaxation process is estimated to be 0.8–1.0 eV for the x=0–0.6 samples, and ≈1.4 eV for the x=0.8; whereas the x=1 sample shows two values (≈0.5 eV and ≈1.0 eV) in the higher and lower temperature range, respectively. Further, the change in total conductivity with the angular frequency, which found to be in the range of 10−3 to 10−5 S/m, is fitted using the Jonsher power law. The analysis suggests the overlapping large polaron tunneling (OLPT) model for all the samples, whereas the x = 1 sample exhibit a transition near 480 °C and at higher temperatures it shows non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) and quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT). This transition is corroborated by the tangent loss curves and may be associated with the change in structure.

Studies of structural, dielectric, conductivity, leakage current mechanism, and efficiency of complex electroceramic

Bismuth ferrites are quite interesting because of their high conductivity and dielectric constant. Recent times now need innovative materials with high mechanical strength, minimal energy loss, and cost effective. The analysis of X-ray diffraction pattern/data and scanning electron micrograph provides the formation of complex bismuth ferrite containing lithium and tungsten of a composition Bi1/2Li1/2Fe1/2W1/2O3, with monoclinic symmetry. The relation between the electrical and dielectric characteristics was examined in the frequency region from 1 kHz to 1 MHz at different temperatures (25–500 °C). The electrical conductivity experiments on the compound containing lithium and tungstate produced some exciting findings. As the frequency increases, the ac resistivity showing decreasing trend with small resistance and large conductivity. With the help of non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) and overlapping large polaron tunneling (OLPT) models, temperature-frequency dependent conduction mechanisms have been explained. When electrical characteristics are examined using impedance spectroscopy (non-Debye relaxation), the contributions of grain and grain boundaries effect in the material are observed in the material. The Ohmic and Space Charge Limited Current conduction mechanism (SCLC) were found at low and high electric field (voltage) under forward bias current-voltage situations. The energy storage efficiency of the material is 61.80 %, obtained at room temperature with an applied electric field (−3 to +3 kV/cm) at a frequency of 50 kHz from the hysteresis loop. It implies that the material is promising for pulsed power energy storage capacitors.

Structure, optical, charge transport mechanism, dielectric properties and leakage current analysis of Sm2MgMnO6 double perovskite

Structure, optical, dielectric, charge transport properties, and leakage current density of Sm2MgMnO6 prepared via auto–combustion method have been investigated in this study. The stoichiometry of the constituent elements in the prepared sample agrees with the expected values. The sintered sample exhibits a monoclinic crystal structure with space group P21/n. The crystal structure is distorted and tilted. The grains are irregular in shape and size and distributed non–uniformly. The average crystallite and grain size are 151 nm and 176.49 nm, respectively. The direct optical band gap (1.41 eV) is associated with octahedral distortion. The tangent of dielectric loss increases beyond ∼300 °C rapidly. The Havriliak–Negami formalism has been used to explain the dielectric properties. The material is relaxor ferroelectric in nature. The conduction of charge carriers follows non–overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) conduction model. The ac activation energy decreases with frequency. The leakage current conduction is Ohmic in nature. The sample exhibits 1.53 × 10−6 Acm−2 leakage current density at 5.11 Vcm−1 and 150 °C, which follows the Schottky emission relation. The obtained results have been compared with the literature.

Investigating the temperature and frequency dependence of dielectric response using AC impedance spectroscopy on SnO2

In this investigation, we explored tin oxide's dielectric properties and impedance spectroscopy, focusing on its temperature dependence across a frequency range of 20 Hz to 2 MHz. We analyzed the x-ray diffraction pattern using Rietveld refinement and established that the sample has a tetragonal phase with P42/mnm space group. Afterward, the surface structure of the SnO2 was examined using (FESEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Through FESEM, we analyzed the morphology of the prepared sample, which were nanospheres in structure. In contrast, we discovered the non-degenerated A1g and B2g modes through Raman spectroscopy, which matches well with the literature and displays the contraction and expansion of Sn-O bonds. We performed dielectric studies at varying frequencies and temperatures to further analyze the properties. We discovered that the ac conductivity increased as temperature and frequency increased. The activation energy was calculated using dc electrical conductivity measurement. The DC conductivity exhibits a temperature dependence that can be described by the Arrhenius equation, which reveals that the tin oxide has to conduct behavior with an estimated activation energy of 0.025 eV, 0.035 eV, and 0.082 eV for three temperature ranges of 80–120 K, 120–175 K, and 175–270 K, respectively. Additionally, the AC conductivity data conforms to Jonscher's universal power law. The frequency-dependent parameter “s” increases as the temperature elevates. A transition from the QMT (Quantum mechanical tunneling) model to NSPT (non-overlapping small polaron tunneling) was employed to analyze the data.

Investigation of electric transport in mixed conducting Na2O modified zinc borate glasses for electrode material using broadband dielectric spectroscopy.

The electrical conductivity of Na2O substituted zinc borate glasses has been studied in the frequency range of 10 mHz to 1MHz and in the temperature range from 313 to 573K. The conduction mechanism has been ascertained using the values of the frequency exponent (s) extracted from the fitting of experimental data of the real part of electric conductivity in light of the Almond-West equation. Depending on the glass composition, the ac conduction in the glasses happened via correlated barrier hopping and non-overlapping small polaron tunneling conduction models. The electric modulus studies support the assertion of composition dependent conduction mechanisms. Furthermore, electronic conduction and ionic conduction have been studied from impedance investigations. Equivalent circuit models were used to fit the Nyquist and Bode plots of each sample at the temperatures under consideration. It has been found that the activation energy values calculated from conductivity, electric modulus, and impedance measurements are more or less the same.

Assessment of Conductivity through Impedance Analysis of CuO:Ho2O3 Modified BaZr0.05Ti0.95O3

The solid state reaction method was used to prepare 2 wt% of BaZr0.05Ti0.95O3 doped by (CuO:Ho2O3) in different ratios. The variation in the ratio of CuO:Ho2O3 was fixed at 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1 and 3:1. The dielectric data and impedance analysis confirmed the non-Debye nature of all the samples. Conductivity results show the Non-overlapping Small Polaron tunnelling conduction mechanism up to 240 °C and the Co-related Barrier Hopping conduction mechanism after 240 °C in the selected temperature range for all the samples. For the Co-related Barrier Hoping model, a sample with a ratio of 1:3 has shown the maximum binding energy value for the charge carrier and a comparatively lesser value of conductivity.

Crystal structure, thermal behavior and electric properties of a new semiconductor cobalt-based hybrid material

The crystals of the new organic-inorganic hybrid material, (C5H12N)2[CoBr2.73Cl1.27], were successfully synthesized by the slow evaporation method and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, UV–Vis absorption and electrical measurements. This compound crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P21/n of the monoclinic system with unit cell parameters: a = 9.7724 (6) Å, b = 12.3920 (6) Å, c = 15.0307 (9) Å, β = 100.864(6) °, V = 1787.59(18) Å3 and Z = 4. The IR spectrum of the compound is studied, especially for the cationic vibrational part. The thermal analysis indicates that (C5H12N)2[CoBr2.73Cl1.27] is stable up to 270 °C and that it undergoes two reversible phase transitions at 152 and 187 °C and at 141 and 128 °C on heating and cooling, respectively. From UV visible gap energy value of 3 eV it can be concluded that the new mixed halide compound is a semiconductor material. The electrical behavior of (C5H12N)2[CoBr2.73Cl1.27] was studied using impedance spectroscopy in the temperature range of 323 to 403 K. According to a study on the frequency dependence of ac conductivity, the material follows Jonscher's universal dynamic law with an increase in the frequency exponent (s) as temperature increases. This behavior reveals that the conduction mechanism is the nonoverlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) model.

Comprehensive studies on the electrical transport of some chalcogenide semiconductors: frequency- and temperature-dependent AC conductivity

The AC conductivity of chalcogenide semiconductors doped with Ag2S was extensively studied, not only for applications in devices but also for academic interests. X-ray diffraction studies reveal the presence of GeS, Ag2S, Se5.1S1.9, Se2.57S5.43, Ag2Se, S3Se5, Se4.7S3.3, and Ag8S nanocrystallites. The characteristic vibration that appeared in the range 500–600 cm−1 is due to the Ag–S bond, and the vibrations at 3,700 and 1600 cm−1 can be assigned as the bending and stretching vibrations of the O–H bond, which may be formed due to the adsorption of H2O molecules on the Ag2S surface. DC electrical conductivity can be increased by optical phonon frequency, which may be involved in the enhancement of structural vibrations. At low temperatures, the “density of states” increases from 3.337 × 1019 to 2.396 × 1021 eV−1 cm−3, and at high temperatures, it enhances from 3.417 × 1028 to 1.1356 × 1031 eV– 1 cm−3. The correlated barrier hopping model explores the maximum barrier height for composition, x = 0.1 as 0.0292 eV. The modified non-overlapping small polaron tunnelling model reveals the polaron transfer activation energy for x = 0.2 as 0.09110 eV. The independence of the electrical relaxation process of the system on temperature and its dependence on composition were exhibited by the scaling of the conductivity spectra.

Low-frequency electrical response related to oxygen vacancies in Al3+ substituted M-type hexaferrite

The presence of oxygen vacancies is unavoidable in many complex metal oxide materials such as hexaferrites. This article investigates the role of crystal defects, such as oxygen vacancies, and different oxidation states of Fe ions, on the electrical conduction behaviors of Al3+ substituted Ba0.4La0.1Sr0.5Al x Fe12−x O19 hexaferrites by analyzing the temperature dependent AC impedance and AC conductivity. The optimal substitution of La3+ ions and high-temperature sintering is responsible for forming oxygen vacancies while reducing Fe from Fe3+ to Fe2+ cations, as observed in structural and XPS analysis, which affects electrical conduction behaviors. The departure from ideal Debye-type relaxation behavior is also one of the effects of crystal defects. Temperature variation of relaxation time shows a sharp change at around 403 K. This may be due to different electrical entities influencing the mode of electron hopping with temperature. The activation energy calculated from the temperature dependent relaxation time confirmed the presence of electron hopping through the bridging effects of the first ionization of oxygen vacancies Fe2+––Fe3+ below a temperature of 403 K. Above 403 K, electron hopping through different oxidation states of Fe3+ + e− → Fe2+ and migration of oxygen vacancies toward the bulk surface are responsible for the conduction mechanism. The DC resistivity and AC conductivity show that the bridging effects of oxygen defects can also induce Coulomb interaction between the defect sites resulting in Efros–Shklovskii variable range hopping and correlation barrier hopping below 403 K. Above 403 K, polaron-assisted electron hopping is more desirable, as confirmed by the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling model.

Study of the structural, electrical, dielectric properties and transport mechanisms of Cu0.5Fe2.5O4 ferrite nanoparticles for energy storage, photocatalytic and microelectronic applications

Cu0.5Fe2.5O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by the self-combustion method whose XRD and FTIR analyzes confirm the formation of the desired spinel phase. The thermal evolution of conduction shows a semiconductor behaviour explained by a polaronic transport mechanism governed by the Non-overlapping Small Polaron Tunnelling (NSPT) model. DC conductivity and hopping frequency are positively correlated. The scaling of the conductivity leads to a single universal curve where the scaling parameter α has positive values, which testifies to the presence of Coulomb interactions between the mobile particles. Conduction and relaxation processes are positively correlated by similar activation energies. Nyquist diagrams are characterized by semicircular arcs perfectly modeled by an equivalent electrical circuit (R//C//CPE) indicating the contribution of the grains. The dielectric behaviour shows a strong predominance of conduction by the phenomenological theory of Maxwell-Wagner. The low values of electrical conductivity and dielectric loss and the high value of permittivity, make our compound a promising candidate for energy storage, photocatalytic and microelectronic applications.