Free-standing powder of zinc sulphide quantum particles has been synthesized using a chemical route. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the diameter of the particles is ∼21±2 Å which is smaller than the Bohr exciton diameter for zinc sulphide. UV absorption shows an excitonic peak centered at ∼300 nm corresponding to an energy gap of 4.1±0.1 eV. These particles show a luminescence band at ∼424 nm. The quantum particles could be doped with copper during synthesis without altering the UV absorption or x-ray diffraction pattern. However, doping shifted the luminescence to 480 nm, green wavelength in the visible region.

La 2 NiMnO 6 (LNMO) was prepared by a combustion method followed by heating at high temperature. Subsequently, the preformed LNMO was annealed in air, oxygen, or N 2 atmosphere and characterized by powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), neutron diffraction, superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, and dielectric analysis. Structural studies by XRD and neutron diffraction revealed the coexistence of partially cation disordered monoclinic (31%) and rhombohedral (69%) phases in the sample annealed in air. However, the sample annealed in oxygen shows about 50:50% of monoclinic and rhombohedral phases. Relaxor-like behavior with relative permittivity of the order of 10 4 was observed in the sample annealed in air, while relative permittivity decreases to about 200 in samples annealed in oxygen atmosphere. The magnetic properties indicate a well-defined ferromagnetic phase in the oxygen-annealed sample compared to a feeble ferromagnetic signature in the air-annealed one. The dielectric and ferromagnetism of LNMO samples have been related to formation and annihilation of oxygen vacancies.

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In this communication, we report the preparation and properties of nano-CoFe2O4 by gel combustion in presence of KCl and subsequent heat treatments. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, and Mössbauer Spectroscopy. Spinel type structure with all Fe in 3+ oxidation states was confirmed from the XRD and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The average crystallite sizes of the studied samples were about 6 and 50 nm. Low temperature magnetic and dielectric properties of the samples were studied by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and ac-impedance spectroscopy. The field and temperature dependent magnetization studies indicated superparamagnetic nature for 6 nm sample and ferromagnetic nature for 50 nm sample. The temperature-dependent dielectric properties measured over a wide range of frequencies indicated an increasing trend of dielectric permittivity with the decrease in crystallite size. Variable range polaron hopping conduction was observed in both samples.