Dielectric properties and alternating current conductivity of sol–gel made La0.8Ca0.2FeO3 compound

Unlocking the Potential of A-Site Ca-Doped LaCo0.2Fe0.8O3-δ: A Redox-Stable Cathode Material Enabling High Current Density in Direct CO2 Electrolysis

Massive carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from recent human industrialization has affected the global ecosystem and raised great concern for environmental sustainability. The solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) is a promising energy conversion device capable of efficiently converting CO2 into valuable chemicals using renewable energy sources. However, Sr-containing cathode materials face the challenge of Sr carbonation during CO2 electrolysis, which greatly affects the energy conversion efficiency and long-term stability. Thus, A-site Ca-doped La1-xCaxCo0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) oxides are developed for direct CO2 conversion to carbon monoxide (CO) in an intermediate-temperature SOEC (IT-SOEC). With a polarization resistance as low as 0.18 Ω cm2 in pure CO2 atmosphere, a remarkable current density of 2.24 A cm-2 was achieved at 1.5 V with La0.6Ca0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LCCF64) as the cathode in La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17O3-δ (LSGM) electrolyte (300 μm) supported electrolysis cells using La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) as the air electrode at 800 °C. Furthermore, symmetrical cells with LCCF64 as the electrodes also show promising electrolysis performance of 1.78 A cm-2 at 1.5 V at 800 °C. In addition, stable cell performance has been achieved on direct CO2 electrolysis at an applied constant current of 0.5 A cm-2 at 800 °C. The easily removable carbonate intermediate produced during direct CO2 electrolysis makes LCCF64 a promising regenerable cathode. The outstanding electrocatalytic performance of the LCCF64 cathode is ascribed to the highly active and stable metal/perovskite interfaces that resulted from the in situ exsolved Co/CoFe nanoparticles and the additional oxygen vacancies originated from the Ca2Fe2O5 phase synergistically providing active sites for CO2 adsorption and electrolysis. This study offers a novel approach to design catalysts with high performance for direct CO2 electrolysis.

Investigation of Grain, Grain Boundary, and Interface Contributions on the Impedance of Ca2FeO5

Conductivity properties such as the impedance contributions of grain, grain boundary, and electrode–material interface of brownmillerite-type Ca2Fe2O5 are studied using alternate current (AC) impedance at different temperatures over a wide range of frequencies. The compound was synthesized at 1000 °C by a solid-state reaction. Powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the pure and single-phase formation. The correlation of the electrical properties with the microstructure of the compound was studied by an AC impedance spectroscopic technique at different temperatures (25–300 °C), which demonstrated the contribution of both the grain (bulk) and grain boundary to the impedance. The frequency-dependent electrical conductivity was used to study the conductivity mechanism. The electric impedance and the frequency at different temperatures supported the suggested conduction mechanism.

Influence of Ni content on structural, magnetocaloric and electrical properties in manganite La0.6Ba0.2Sr0.2Mn1-x Ni x O3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) type perovskites

We present a detailed study on the physical properties of La0.6Ba0.2Sr0.2Mn1-x Ni x O3 samples (x = 0.00, 0.05 and 0.1). The ceramics were fabricated using the sol-gel route. Structural refinement, employing the Rietveld method, disclosed a rhombohedral R3̄c phase. The magnetization vs. temperature plots show a paramagnetic-ferromagnetic (PM-FM) transition phase at the T C (Curie temperature), which decreases from 354 K to 301 K. From the Arrott diagrams M 2 vs. μ 0 H/M, we can conclude the phase transition is of the second order. Based on measurements of the isothermal magnetization around T C, the magnetocaloric effects (MCEs) have been calculated. The entropy maximum change (-ΔS M) values are 7.40 J kg-1 K-1, 5.6 J kg-1 K-1 and 4.48 J kg-1 K-1, whereas the relative cooling power (RCP) values are 232 J kg-1, 230 J kg-1 and 156 J kg-1 for x = 0.00, 0.05 and 0.10, respectively, under an external field (μ 0 H) of 5 T. Through these results, the La0.6Ba0.2Sr0.2Mn1-x Ni x O3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) samples can be suggested for use in magnetic refrigeration technology above room temperature. The electrical resistivity (ρ) vs. temperature plots exhibit a transition from metallic behavior to semiconductor behavior in the vicinity of T M-SC. The adiabatic small polaron hopping (ASPH) model is applied in the PM-semiconducting part (T > T MS). Throughout the temperature range, ρ is adjusted by the percolation model. This model is based on the phase segregation of FM-metal clusters and PM-insulating regions.

Investigation of temperature and frequency dependence of the dielectric properties of multiferroic (La0.8Ca0.2)0.4Bi0.6FeO3 nanoparticles for energy storage application

The plot of dε′/dT versus temperature for the (La0.8Ca0.2)0.4Bi0.6FeO3 material proves four dielectric anomalies at 180 K, 240 K, 320 K and 350 K with a colossal dielectric constant at low frequency allowing its application in energy storage devices.

Study of the influence of 2.5% Mg2+ insertion in the B-site of La0.8Ca0.1Pb0.1FeO3 on its structural, electrical and dielectric properties

This work involves the synthesis and study of physical properties of the La_0.8Ca_0.1Pb_0.1Fe_0.975Mg_0.025O₃ compound, which has been characterized by various experimental techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, SEM and complex impedance spectroscopy. The structural study showed that the La_0.8Ca_0.1Pb_0.1Fe_0.975Mg_0.025O₃ compound crystallized in the orthorhombic structure with the Pnma space group. The particle size and the surface morphology of this compound have been analysed using SEM. The particle size was found to be around 120 nm and we confirmed that one particle contains more than one crystallite. Importantly, the studied compound presented a giant dielectric permittivity (ε′ of around 9 × 10⁴ at high temperature and low frequencies). An equivalent electric circuit has been deduced from the Nyquist plots of the complex impedance parts (Z′′ vs. Z′) to correctly describe the electrical behavior of the La_0.8Ca_0.1Pb_0.1Fe_0.975Mg_0.025O₃ compound. The chosen circuit consists of two cells mounted in series corresponding to the grain and grain boundary contributions. The electrode contribution has been detected from the frequency dependence of the imaginary part of modulus where the activation energy of each constitution has been calculated. The relaxation process and the electrical conductivity are attributed to the same type of charge carriers characterized by similar values of the activation energy determined from loss factor tangent (tg(δ)), the imaginary part of the permittivity and the modulus spectrum.

This work involves the synthesis and study of physical properties of the La_0.8Ca_0.1Pb_0.1Fe_0.975Mg_0.025O₃ compound, which has been characterized by various experimental techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, SEM and complex impedance spectroscopy.

Influence of alkaline-earth metal substitution on structure, electrical conductivity and oxygen transport properties of perovskite-type oxides La0.6A0.4FeO3-δ (A = Ca, Sr and Ba)

Structural evolution, electrical conductivity, oxygen nonstoichiometry and oxygen transport properties of perovskite-type oxides La0.6A0.4FeO3-δ (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba) were investigated. La0.6Ca0.4FeO3-δ (LCF64) and La0.6Sr0.4FeO3-δ (LSF64) show a phase transformation in air at elevated temperature, i.e., from orthorhombic (Pnma) to rhombohedral (R3[combining macron]c) and from rhombohedral to cubic (Pm3[combining macron]m), respectively, while La0.6Ba0.4FeO3-δ (LBF64) remains cubic over the entire temperature range from room temperature to 1000 °C. The different phase behaviour of the solids is interpreted to reflect the decreased tendency for octahedral tilting with increasing alkaline-earth-metal dopant ion radius. The electrical conductivity of LSF64 is 191 S cm-1 in air at 800 °C, decreasing to a value of 114 S cm-1 at a pO2 of 0.01 atm, and found over this pO2 range roughly twice as high as those of LCF64 and LBF64. Failure to describe the data of electrical conductivity using Holstein's small polaron theory is briefly discussed. Chemical diffusion coefficients and surface exchange coefficients of the materials in the range 650-900 °C were extracted from data of electrical conductivity relaxation. Data of oxygen nonstoichiometry was used to calculate the vacancy diffusion coefficients from the measured chemical diffusion coefficients. The calculated migration enthalpies are found to decrease in the order LCF64 (1.08 ± 0.04 eV) > LSF64 (0.95 ± 0.01 eV) > LBF64 (0.81 ± 0.01 eV). The estimated ionic conductivities of the materials, at 900 °C, are within a factor of 1.4.

Effect of Bi-substitution into the A-site of multiferroic La0.8Ca0.2FeO3 on structural, electrical and dielectric properties

(La_0.8Ca_0.2)_1-x Bi _x FeO₃ (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) (LCBFO) multiferroic compounds have been prepared by the sol-gel method and calcined at 800 °C. X-ray diffraction results have shown that all samples crystallise in the orthorhombic structure with the Pnma space group. Electrical and dielectric characterizations of the synthesized materials have been performed using complex impedance spectroscopy techniques in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1 MHz and in a temperature range from 170 to 300 K. The ac-conductivity spectra have been analysed using Jonscher's power law σ(ω) = σ _dc + Aω ^s , where the power law exponent (s) increases with the temperature. The imaginary part of the complex impedance (Z'') was found to be frequency dependent and shows relaxation peaks that move towards higher frequencies with the increase of the temperature. The relaxation activation energy deduced from the Z'' vs. frequency plots was similar to the conduction activation energy obtained from the conductivity. Hence, the relaxation process and the conduction mechanism may be attributed to the same type of charge carriers. The Nyquist plots (Z'' vs. Z') at different temperatures revealed the appearance of two semi-circular arcs corresponding to grain and grain boundary contributions.

Complex impedance, dielectric properties and electrical conduction mechanism of La0.5Ba0.5FeO3−δ perovskite oxides

The new perovskite compound La_0.5Ba_0.5FeO_3−δ was prepared by the sol–gel method.