A Comprehensive Study of Cerium-Modified Bi₂FeMnO₆ Double Perovskite: Synthesis, Structure, Properties and Applications

Abstract

This paper presents a detailed synthesis method by solid-state reaction route and typical characterization (structural, microstructural, dielectric, impedance, modulus, and optical properties) of a double perovskite material Bi2FeMn[Formula: see text]Ce[Formula: see text]O6. An orthorhombic crystal structure having an average crystallite size of 32.2[Formula: see text]nm is suggested by X-ray diffraction data (XRD). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph detects the presence of cylindrical nanorod-shaped distinct grains and well-defined grain boundaries in this material and the average grain size is 5.82[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m. Furthermore, the purity and the presence of all constituent elements in the material were confirmed from energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and color mapping. Dielectric, impedance, modulus, and AC conductivity properties are studied within the temperature range of 25–500∘C and frequency range of 1[Formula: see text]kHz to 1[Formula: see text]MHz. The high dielectric constant at a low-frequency zone and low dielectric loss found in this material make it a promising candidate for better energy-storing devices. The negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behavior is observed from the impedance study. The non-Debye relaxation is detected in the modulus study. The semiconducting nature of this material is verified by semicircular arcs observed in both Nyquist and Cole–Cole plots. The thermally activated conduction mechanism is confirmed by an AC conductivity study. The existence of Bi–O, Fe–O, Mn–O and Ce–O stretching vibrations are observed from the FTIR study and explain the presence of all constituent elements in the sample. The bandgap energy of 1.7[Formula: see text]eV is calculated from UV-DRS analysis and hence this material can be used for advanced optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.