Influence of Ti4+ ion substitution on structural, electrical and dielectric properties of Li0.5Fe2.5O4 nanoparticles

The extent study deals with the structural, electrical and dielectric properties of tetravalent Ti4+ ion substituted lithium ferrite nanoparticles synthesized via sol-gel auto combustion technique with chemical formula Li0.5+0.5xTixFe2.5-1.5xO4 (where 0.0 <= x <= 1.0 in step of 0.2). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD). The XRD analysis reveals single phase cubic spinel structure of synthesized samples. The crystallite size calculated from Scherrer's formula and grain size by linear intercept method using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images, confirms the nanocrystalline nature of the samples. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy shows principle absorption bands for spinel structure. The DC resistivity at room temperature and as a function of temperature was studied using the two-probe technique. DC electrical resistivity of the samples increases with titanium substitution. The frequency dependence of dielectric properties was studied using LCR-Q meter, the dielectric parameters were found to decrease after substitution of titanium ions.