Structural, optical, and electrical properties of SmNbO{sub 4}
- I3N Department of Physics, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)
Rare-earth orthoniobates constitute a class of materials that has been exploited due to their interesting physical properties depending on the lanthanide element. Besides paramagnetism, ferroelasticity, and negative compressibility, these materials are known by their interesting optical properties and mixed types of conduction processes (protonic, ionic, and electronic). In this work, two types of SmNbO{sub 4} samples were studied: polycrystalline samples, prepared by a sol-gel route using the Pechini method, and single crystalline fibres grown by the Laser Floating Zone technique. These samples were structurally characterized based on powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. A metastable tetragonal phase, stabilized by grain size, was identified in the synthesized powders. After a sintering process of such powders, a single monoclinic phase was obtained. Complementarily, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses were performed to these samples. Photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopic studies allowed identifying more than one optically active centre of the trivalent samarium ion in the analysed material. Impedance spectroscopy measurements have shown a large variation of the ac conductivity as a function of temperature, assigned to a protonic conduction and to native ionic conduction mechanisms.
- OSTI ID:
- 22597795
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 120, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COMPRESSIBILITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
GRAIN SIZE
IMPEDANCE
MONOCLINIC LATTICES
MONOCRYSTALS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PARAMAGNETISM
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
POLYCRYSTALS
POWDERS
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
SAMARIUM IONS
SAMARIUM OXIDES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SINTERING
SOL-GEL PROCESS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ZONE MELTING