Preparation and characterization of orthoferrite PrFeO3 nanoceramic

In the present study, orthoferrite PrFeO3 (PFO) ceramic was reported to be synthesized by high energy ball milling and subsequent sintering. Thermal, dielectric, and optical properties of the synthesized samples were investigated. The PrFeO3 ceramic samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). Based on the XPS analysis, PFO belongs in the rank of ceramics with a good colossal dielectric constant (CDC) behavior, as also confirmed by the measured dielectric properties. Results also showed that an increase in the frequency values leads to an increase in the electron hopping frequency and subsequently an increase in the charge carrier mobility, which is also the case with ac conductivity. The UV-vis absorption spectra of the PFO samples sintered at 1400 °C also showed that maximum absorption takes place in higher frequency as well as in higher energy ranges.