Effect of Porosity on the Electrical Properties of Polycristalline Sodium Niobate: I, Electrical Conductivity

International audienceThe electrical behavior of NaNbO3 ceramic samples with different relative densities was investigated by ac impedance spectroscopy in a range of 13 MHz to 10−3 Hz between 400° and 800°C in dry air. Measurements were performed during heating and cooling cycles. The Nyquist impedance diagrams of dense sodium niobate exhibit only one semicircle representing the grain contribution with depression angles as small as 1°, indicating a high homogeneity of the specific electrical properties. In the case of porous samples, the data reveal an additional low-frequency semicircle related to microstructure. For all studied samples, the Arrhenius conductivity plots show a change in the activation energy around 640°C, attributed to the tetragonal-cubic phase transition. The electrical conductivity of porous samples appears to be higher than that of dense ones

Dopant Effect of Porosity on the Electrical Properties of Polycristalline Sodium Niobate: II, Dielectric Behavior

International audienceThe dielectric behavior of dense and porous NaNbO3 ceramic samples, synthesized by a suitable chemical route, was investigated by impedance spectroscopy between room temperature and 800°C in dry air. The dielectric behavior and thermal stability of the samples were evaluated as a function of several thermal cycles. The dielectric constant was calculated from the relaxation frequency, and from an alternative approach based on the variation of the opposite of the imaginary part of impedance as a function of reciprocal angular frequency. The values obtained using both relations were in a good agreement. After the porosity was corrected, the porous and dense samples presented the same dielectric constant. All samples evaluated displayed a broad dielectric anomaly between 300°–400°C. Neither the orthorhombic-tetragonal- nor the tetragonal-cubic-phase transitions were detected by dielectric measurements. The Curie-Weiss law was found to be valid above the transition temperature, whereas the corresponding phase transition presented a diffuse nature. The origin of the related thermal hysteresis is discussed herein

Electrical characterization by impedance spectroscopy of Zn7Sb2O12 ceramic

Impedance spectroscopy technique was used to investigate the electric properties of Zn7Sb2O12, an electroceramic with inverse spinel type structure. The electric characterization of the Zn7Sb2O12 semiconducting ceramic was performed at temperature from 250 to 550 degreesC, in the frequency range from 5 Hz to 13 MHz. Zinc antimoniate phase was synthesized by the polymeric precursors method. The bulk resistance curve as a function of temperature exhibits a thermistor behavior with negative temperature coefficient. The bulk conductivity follows the Arrhenius law with two linear branches of different slopes positioned at around a region of transition, 450 degreesC > T > 350 degreesC. The activation energy values at low temperature (< 350 degreesC) and high temperature (> 450 degreesC) are equals to 0.78 and 0.61 eV, respectively. The existence of a phase transition limiting these regions is discussed

Dielectric dispersion in Bi3Zn2Sb3O14 ceramic: a pyrochlore type phase

The electric and dielectric properties of Bi3Zn2Sb3O14 ceramic were studied by impedance spectroscopy. The measurements were performed in the frequency range 5 to 13 MHz and at temperature ranges from 25 to 700 &deg;C. The permittivity was calculated by the variation of the imaginary part of the impedance (-Im(Z)) as function of 1/omega, where omega represents the angular frequency (2pif). The parameter epsilon = f(T) exhibits values in the range from 40 to 48. The dielectric losses (tandelta) show slight dependence with the temperature up to 400 &deg;C. A strong increasing of the tandeltaoccurs at temperatures higher than 400 &deg;C. In a general way, a decrease of the parameter tandelta occurs with the increasing frequency

Análise cristalográfica da solução sólida com estrutura tipo Tungstênio Bronze de niobato de potássio e estrôncio dopado com ferro Crystallographic analysis of the solid solution of iron doped potassium strontium niobate with tetragonal tungsten bronze structure

<abstract language="eng">Solid solution of iron doped potassium strontium niobate with KSr2(FeNb4)O15-&#916; stoichiometry was prepared by high efficiency ball milling method. Structural characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction. Crystalline structure was analyzed by the Rietveld refinements using the FullProf software. The results showed a tetragonal system with the tetragonal tungsten bronze structure - TTB (a = 12.4631 (2) Å and c = 3.9322 (6) Å, V = 610.78 (2) ų). In this work, the sites occupancy by the K+, Sr2+ and Fe3+ cations on the TTB structure were determined. NbO6 polihedra distortion and its correlation with the theoretical polarization are discussed

Functional nanostructured catalysts based on the niobates to the dry methane reforming and ethylene homologation reactions

Catalytic activity and selectivity of niobate-based nanostructured materials were investigated. Dry methane reforming (DMR) and ethylene homologation reaction (EHR) were selected as test reactions. KSr 2Nb5O15, Sr2NaNb5O 15 and NaSr2(NiNb4)O15 δ niobate powders were prepared by the high energy ball milling method and calcined in a reductor atmosphere. N2 adsorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy characterization was performed. Hydrogen pretreated niobates showed from low to moderate catalytic initial activity in DMR's test, nevertheless the materials were deactivated rapidly and the kinetic parameters associated to deactivation were estimated. Otherwise, non-treated catalysts showed a high initial activity in EHR's test and KSr2Nb 5O15 catalyst requires 24 h to the total deactivation with a high selectivity to form propylene. A reaction mechanism to the propylene formation is discussed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved