Fabrication, structural characterization, dielectric and electrical parameters of the synthesized nano-crystalline erbium oxide

Nano crystalline erbium oxide (Er2O3) was synthesized in the laboratory through sol-gel method. The effect of different annealing temperatures on the crystal structure has been studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD). The comparison of the specific surface area (s); calculated using Brunauer, Emmett & Teller theory and (XRD) results, was made and found in agreement with an approximate error of 7%. The morphology of the samples has been studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and particles are found having a spherical morphology. Elemental analysis of the erbium oxide was also carried using energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) of the synthesized samples. Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) of the prepared samples showed the characteristic peaks for Er2O3. The dielectric properties of Er2O3 were also studied in the wide range of frequency (100 Hz - 5MHz). The activation energy for erbium oxide was found to be between 0.5-0.8 eV in the temperature range of 373 K-573 K. Hall effect measurements were done on the synthesized erbium oxide and it was found that erbium oxide can have useful applications in the Hall effect sensors (HES).