Impact of gadolinium doping on the structural and dielectric properties of zirconia nanoparticles

摘要

Pure ZrO_2 and Zr_(0.9)Gd_(0.1)O_2 nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel method using citric acid as fuel. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dielectric spectroscopy were used to characterize the structural and optical properties of the samples. The XRD analysis confirms that the prepared samples have a tetragonal structure with space group P42/nmc. The Hall Williamson analysis confirms the increase in the lattice parameter and crystallite size with the addition of Gd. The incorporation of Gd~(3+) ions with higher ionic radius causes an expansion in the crystal lattice of ZrO_2. FTIR analysis confirms the formation of ZrO_2 and Zr_(0.9)Gd_(0.1)O_2 nanoparticles. The value of the dielectric constant is higher for Zr_(0.9)Gd_(0.1)O_2 in comparison to ZrO_2. The Nyquist plot shows that ZrO_2 and Zr_(0.9)Gd_(0.1)O_2 show non-Debye type relaxation.