Author(s)

N. K. Divya, P. U. Aparna, P. P. Pradyumnan^*

Department of Physics, University of Calicut, Malappuram, India.

Erbium doped ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized through solid state reaction route. A detailed structural study was carried out by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. This work investigates the changes occurred to the hexagonal wurtzite crystal lattice of ZnO due to the incorporation of Er³⁺ based on crystalline size. The chemical composition of the samples was confirmed using Energy Dispersive Spectra (EDS) data analysis. Decrease in average crystallite size with increase in rare earth concentration was observed in XRD. The frequency dependence of dielectric constant (ε_r), dielectric loss (tanδ) and AC conductivity of pure and rare earth doped ZnO were calculated and well explained with Maxwell-Weigner model.

Solid State Reaction, XRD, Crystallite Size, Bond Length, Dielectric Constant, AC Conductivity

Divya, N. , Aparna, P. and Pradyumnan, P. (2015) Dielectric Properties of Er³⁺ Doped ZnO Nanocrystals. Advances in Materials Physics and Chemistry, 5, 287-294. doi: 10.4236/ampc.2015.58028.