Dielectric and impedance spectroscopic studies of neodymium gallate

The AC electrical properties of a polycrystalline neodymium gallate, NdGaO3 (NGO), synthesized by the sol–gel method have been investigated by employing impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 5 MHz and in the temperature range from 323 K to 593 K. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic phase with Pbnm space group at room temperature. Two relaxation processes with different relaxation times are observed from the impedance as well as modulus spectroscopic measurements, which have been attributed to the grain and the grain boundary effects at different temperatures in NGO. The complex impedance data are analyzed by an electrical equivalent circuit consisting of a resistance and a constant phase element in parallel. It has been observed that the value of the capacitance and the resistance associated with the grain boundary is higher than those associated with the grain. The temperature dependent electrical conductivity shows the negative temperature coefficient of resistance. The frequency dependent conductivity spectra are found to follow the power law.