New Nd-doped lead zirconate Pb1−1.5xNdxZrO3 nanocrystals: Fabrication via wet chemical route for electrical and dielectric parameters evaluation

Abstract Pb 1−1.5x Nd x ZrO 3 nanocrystalline powder (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05) have been synthesized by co-precipitation technique. The prepared samples were annealed at temperature 700 °C for 3 h. The structural, dielectric and DC-electrical behavior of the Pb 1−1.5x Nd x ZrO 3 nanoparticles was evaluated using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dielectric analysis and current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of orthorhombic perovskite structure and the crystallite size estimated was 47.80–102.62 nm. The crystallite size and lattice parameters showed a nonlinear behavior. The FTIR spectra were recorded in the range 500–4000 cm −1 that explained the intrinsic cation vibrations of the characteristic orthorhombic perovskite structure. The dielectric parameters were studied in the frequency range of 1 × 10 6 Hz to 3 × 10 9 Hz. In the dielectric parameters, a damping effect was observed by the substitutions of Pb with Nd ions in the higher frequency region. The dominating effect of doping on dielectric properties suggests that these nanomaterials are useful in the fabrication of high frequency and memory devices. DC-electrical measurements showed the increased resistivity as the Nd 3+ content was increased. The minimum resistivity was observed for 2.3547 × 10 9 Ω-cm for PbZrO 3 nanoparticles, while Pb 0.925 Nd 0.05 ZrO 3 nanoparticles showed the maximum resistivity 1.2283 × 10 10 Ω-cm. This fivefold increase in DC-resistivity strongly supports the fabrication of high frequency devices.