Further investigations on the effects of temperature, frequency and phase constitution on the dielectric properties of antimony trioxide specimens

Abstract

In the present manuscript, freshly prepared and also pure chemical grade (BDH) antimony trioxide specimens were investigated. Numerous measurements were carried out on these specimens, comprising chemical, spectral and X-ray analyses, pycnometric and X-ray density measurements and observations of the behaviour of the dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor (C and ~") as functions of temperature and frequency. The results obtained gave values of 12.4 and I 0 for the dielectric constant for the freshly prepared and commercial antimony trioxide specimens, respectively. The results were compared in correlation with the phase constitution and degree of compactness for both specimens. Finally, the data are discussed on the basis of the interactions of the field frequency and temperature with the electric dipoles and electronic polarization of the test specimens.The physico-chemical properties of antimony trioxide have been studied previously by the present author [1,2]. The dependence of the dielectric properties of this substance on the mode of preparation and the crystal structure was the major goal of this and previous investigations [3][4][5]. Very few authors have investigated the dielectric constant of Sb20 a. Thus, in 1932 Guentherschulze and Keller [3] gave a value of 12.8 for the dielectric constant of antimony trioxide polycrystals. They noted that the breakdown of the film is associated with shock ionization of impurities. As regards the crystal structure, antimony trioxide exists in a cubic and an orthorhombic modification, depending on the method of preparation [5].As far as the author is aware, no work concerning the dependence of the dielectric properties of antimony trioxide on the crystalline modifications is to be found in the literature. Accordingly, it is worth-while to examine this problem.