Magnetic and Electrical Properties of CuCr2Se4 Nanoparticles.

CuCr2Se4 nanoparticles were obtained by the high-energy ball milling of CuCr2Se4 single crystals, which had a size of approximately 32 nm after 5 h of milling. Structural, magnetic, and electrical studies have shown that a reduction in CuCr2Se4 single crystals to the nanosize leads to (1) a weakening of ferromagnetic interactions, both long and short range, (2) a lack of saturation of magnetization at 5 K and 70 kOe, (3) a change in the nature of electrical conductivity from metallic to semiconductor, and (4) a reduction in the thermoelectric power factor S2σ by an order of magnitude of 400 K. The above results were considered in terms of the parameters of the band model, derived from the high-temperature expansion of magnetic susceptibility and from the diffusive component of thermoelectric power. Theoretical calculations showed a significant weakening of both the superexchange and double exchange mechanisms, a reduction in the [Cr3+,Cr4+] band width from 0.76 to 0.19 eV, and comparable values of the Fermi energy and the activation energy (0.46 eV) in the intrinsic region of electrical conductivity. The main advantage of high-energy ball milling is the ability to modify the physicochemical properties of already existing compounds for desired applications.

Magnetic and Electrical Properties of CoRE2W2O10 Ceramic Materials.

Microcrystalline samples of CoRE2W2O10 tungstates (RE = Y, Dy, Ho, Er) were prepared by a high-temperature solid-state reaction and then sintered into a ceramic form for unique properties and potential applications. For this purpose, structural, microscopic, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), magnetic, electrical, and thermoelectric measurements were performed. These studies showed a monoclinic structure, paramagnetism, short-range antiferromagnetic interactions in all samples, long-range ferrimagnetic interactions only in CoY2W2O10, poor n-type conductivity of 6.7 × 10-7 S/m at room temperature, strong thermal activation (Ea1 = 0.7 eV) in the intrinsic region, a strong increase in the power factor (S2σ) above 300 K, a Fermi energy (EF) of 0.16 eV, and a Fermi temperature (TF) of 1800 K. The above studies suggest that anion vacancy levels, which act as doubly charged donors, and to a lesser extent, the mixed valence band of cobalt ions (Co2+, Co3+), which are located below the bottom of the conduction band and below the Fermi level, are responsible for electron transport.

Magnetic and Electrical Characteristics of Nd3+ and Mn2+-Co-doped Calcium Molybdato-Tungstates Single Crystals.

Single crystals of Ca1-3x-yMny□xNd2x(MoO4)1-3x(WO4)3x molybdato-tungstates (□ denotes vacant sites) with a scheelite-type structure have been successfully grown by the Czochralski technique in an inert atmosphere. This paper presents the results of structural, optical, magnetic, and electrical properties, as well as the broadband dielectric spectroscopy measurements of single crystals with different Nd3+ ion concentrations, i.e., when x = 0.0050 or x = 0.0098, and with constant content of Mn2+ ions, i.e., when y = 0.0050. Our magnetic studies have shown that substitution of diamagnetic Ca2+ ions in the CaMoO4 matrix with paramagnetic Nd3+ ones with a content not exceeding 0.02 and having a screened 4f-shell revealed a significant effect of orbital diamagnetism and Van Vleck's paramagnetism. Both single crystals have revealed residual electrical conductivity without an intrinsic region and a change of sign of the Seebeck coefficient at ca. 230 K. Dielectric spectroscopy measurements have shown constant values of relative permittivity (εr ∼ 8) and loss tangent (tan δ ∼ 0.01) both up to 400 K and up to 1 MHz, as well as the Fermi energy (∼0.04 eV) and the Fermi temperature (∼500 K) determined for both crystals from the diffusion component of thermopower. These results suggest the presence of shallow acceptor and donor levels in the studied crystals.

Magnetic and Electrical Characteristics of Nd3+-Doped Lead Molybdato-Tungstate Single Crystals.

Single crystals of Pb1-3x▯xNd2x(MoO4)1-3x(WO4)3x (PNMWO) with scheelite-type structure, where ▯ denotes cationic vacancies, have been successfully grown by the Czochralski method in air and under 1 MPa. This paper presents the results of structural, optical, magnetic and electrical, as well as the broadband dielectric spectroscopy measurements of PNMWO single crystals. Research has shown that replacing diamagnetic Pb2+ ions with paramagnetic Nd3+ ones, with a content not exceeding 0.01 and possessing a screened 4f-shell, revealed a significant effect of orbital diamagnetism and Van Vleck's paramagnetism, n-type electrical conductivity with an activation energy of 0.7 eV in the intrinsic area, a strong increase of the power factor above room temperature for a crystal with x = 0.005, constant dielectric value (~30) and loss tangent (~0.01) up to room temperature. The Fermi energy (~0.04 eV) and the Fermi temperature (~500 K) determined from the diffusion component of thermopower showed shallow donor levels.

Effect of Gd3+ Substitution on Thermoelectric Power Factor of Paramagnetic Co2+-Doped Calcium Molybdato-Tungstates.

A series of Co2+-doped and Gd3+-co-doped calcium molybdato-tungstates, i.e., Ca1-3x-yCoyxGd2x(MoO4)1-3x(WO4)3x (CCGMWO), where 0 < x ≤ 0.2, y = 0.02 and represents vacancy, were successfully synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction method. XRD studies and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectral analysis confirmed the formation of single, tetragonal scheelite-type phases with space group I41/a and a direct optical band gap above 3.5 eV. Magnetic and electrical measurements showed insulating behavior with n-type residual electrical conductivity, an almost perfect paramagnetic state with weak short-range ferromagnetic interactions, as well as an increase of spin contribution to the magnetic moment and an increase in the power factor with increasing gadolinium ions in the sample. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy measurements and dielectric analysis in the frequency representation showed a relatively high value of dielectric permittivity at low frequencies, characteristic of a space charge polarization and small values of both permittivity and loss tangent at higher frequencies.

Influence of Crystallite Size on the Magnetic Order in Semiconducting ZnCr2Se4 Nanoparticles.

Structural, electrical, magnetic, and specific heat measurements were carried out on ZnCr2Se4 single crystal and on nanocrystals obtained from the milling of this single crystal after 1, 3, and 5 h, whose crystallite sizes were 25.2, 2.5, and 2 nm, respectively. For this purpose, the high-energy ball-milling method was used. The above studies showed that all samples have a spinel structure, and are p-type semiconductors with less milling time and n-type with a higher one. In turn, the decrease in crystallite size caused a change in the magnetic order, from antiferromagnetic for bulk material and nanocrystals after 1 and 3 h of milling to spin-glass with the freezing temperature Tf = 20 K for the sample after 5 h of milling. The spin-glass behavior for this sample was derived from a broad peak of dc magnetic susceptibility, a splitting of the zero-field-cooling and field-cooling susceptibilities, and from the shift of Tf towards the higher frequency of the ac susceptibility curves. A spectacular result for this sample is also the lack of a peak on the specific heat curve, suggesting a disappearance of the structural transition that is observed for the bulk single crystal.