Exploring the electrical conductivity, impedance and dielectric properties of monoclinic lithium zirconate
摘要
The monoclinic Lithium Zirconate (Li2ZrO3) powders are prepared by solid-state reaction followed by calcination at 950 °C for 10 h. The phase identification is confirmed by X-ray Diffraction. Microstructural evaluation is done by Scanning Electron Microscope. The AC-conductivity, impedance and dielectric properties are measured in the frequency range of 30 Hz to 2 MHz at the temperature range of 30−180 °C. The AC-conductivity analysis indicates the mobile charge motion which is translational and it involves a sudden hoping. The activation energy is calculated to be 0.234 eV. A characteristic temperature disorder for variable range hopping is found to be 2.8 × 108 K and density of localised states at Fermi level is calculated to be 1.17 × 1025 eV−1 m−3. The variation of hopping range of polaron and hopping energy with temperature is studied. The impedance spectra are analysed. The −Z′′ vs Z′ plots are fitted with equivalent electrical circuit for grain and grain boundary. Dielectric spectra infer that Li2ZrO3 has dielectric constant of 42 at 100 Hz at ambient temperature. This work provides novel insight into the electrical and dielectric behaviour of Li2ZrO3. The mobility of charge carriers and its interaction with lattice over the range of temperatures presents a perspective to understand the charge transport dynamics. The resistive and capacitive-related aspects of the microstructure offering this material as a candidate for electronic and energy storage applications.