Dielectric relaxation and small polaron hopping transport in sol-gel-derived NiCr2O4 spinel chromite

Abstract Herein, we have synthesized NiCr2O4 chromite by the sol-gel auto-combustion route. The refined X-ray powder diffraction pattern confirmed the single-phase formation of the material, which crystallized in a cubic normal spinel structure with space group Fd3m. The complex impedance study indicated the existence of relaxation phenomenon and predicted the semiconducting nature of the material. The frequency-dependent Nyquist plot modeled by (RGBCGB) (RGQG) equivalent circuit exhibited the effects of grain and grain boundary to the electrical response of the compound over the measured temperature range of 263 - 393 K. The experimental AC conductivity data followed Jonscher’s double power-law behavior, and the frequency exponent profile suggested small polaron hopping as the most probable transport mechanism for the sample. The complex modulus analysis showed the non-Debye type behavior of the material. In contrast, the dielectric constant exhibited dispersion in the low-frequency regime with a large tangent loss directly related to temperature.