Ferroelectric properties of ultrasonochemically prepared SbSI ethanogel

This article presents for the first time the electrical properties of sonochemically synthesised, high-surface-area SbSI ethanogel made up of large quantity nanowires with lateral dimensions of about 10–50 nm and lengths reaching up to several micrometers. The composition, morphology, dimensions, microstructures, and optical energy gap of the new form of SbSI were characterized. This material is a semiconducting ferroelectric as in the case of bulk SbSI crystals. The maximum of dielectric constant ε = 1.6 × 104 is observed at Tc = 292(1) K. The activation energies in temperature dependences of electric conductivity of SbSI ethanogel are different for ferroelectric and paraelectric phases during heating and cooling of the sample.