Comprehensive investigation of structural, morphological, optical, electrical, and dielectric properties of Dy0.5Sr0.5CrO3 prepared via sol–gel method
摘要
Dy0.5Sr0.5CrO3 perovskite was successfully synthesized by the sol–gel method and systematically investigated through structural, morphological, optical, electrical, dielectric, and thermodynamic analyses. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data confirmed the formation of a single-phase orthorhombic perovskite structure with Pnma symmetry and an average crystallite size of 36–42 nm. SEM observations revealed uniformly distributed submicron grains with moderate agglomeration, while EDS analysis verified the expected elemental composition and phase purity. Optical studies demonstrated semiconducting behavior with an indirect band gap of 2.97 eV and an Urbach energy of 1.469 eV, indicating the presence of localized defect states associated with structural disorder. Electrical measurements showed a negative temperature coefficient of resistance and thermally activated charge transport. The AC conductivity obeyed Jonscher’s universal power law and was successfully described by the correlated barrier hopping model. The activation energy obtained from DC conductivity was 0.201 eV, suggesting a small-polaron hopping mechanism between mixed-valence Cr3+/Cr4+ ions. Dielectric investigations revealed strong Maxwell–Wagner interfacial polarization, non-Debye relaxation behavior, and significant grain-boundary contributions. Impedance, modulus, and polarizability analyses confirm thermally activated relaxation processes and localized charge carrier dynamics. The combination of favorable optical, electrical, and dielectric properties highlights the potential of Dy0.5Sr0.5CrO3 for advanced dielectric and optoelectronic applications.