Abstract
Background: Gd2O3 in nano-size has been found efficient in electronic and optoelectronic devices. The main aim of the presented work is to exploit the as-prepared Gd2O3 nanorods as a dielectric material.
Methods: Nanorods of Gd2O3 have been prepared by hydrothermal method, and next these nanorods are characterized by different techniques showing the absence of impurities. Furthermore, the as prepared nanorods are exploited as a dielectric material to explore the dielectric properties. The observed dielectric properties extend the scope of Gd2O3 nanorods for large scale applications as dielectric material in devices. Results: Powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD) analysis of as-prepared Gd2O3 nanorods confirms the base-centered cubic crystal structure of as-prepared materials of average crystallite size (54.40±14.45) nm. Field effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) reveals the nanorod shapes of average diameter (58.14±10.46) nm. FTIR spectra represent the characteristic peaks of Gd–O–Gd stretching-vibration and Gd–O vibration. In the entire frequency region (100 Hz – 30.0 MHz), the corresponding values of dielectric constants and dielectric losses are (from 64 to 9) and (from 2.2 to 0.05), respectively. Whereas, the consistent value of dielectric constant (~ 10) and low value of dielectric loss (~ 0.75) in the high frequency region advocate the good optical quality and less defect of the material. In the low frequency region, the material shows the dc conductivity, whereas in the mid and high frequency region, the value of ac conductivity has been found to increase according to frequency power law (σ (ω) α ωn). Conclusion: Nanorods of Gd2O3 can be prepared by simple hydrothermal method at low temperature. As prepared nanorods show the potential and smart behaviour as a dielectric material, this indicates that the as-prepared nanorods can be used as an efficient compound semiconductor dielectric material in electronic and optoelectronic devices.Keywords: Structural characterization, dielectric properties, Gd2O3, nanorods, PXRD, semiconductor dielectric.
Graphical Abstract