Influence of Sintering Temperature on Structural and Electrical Properties: Dy0.4Sm0.6FeO3 Orthoferrite

This paper presents the effect of sintering temperature on the structural, electrical, and dielectric properties of polycrystalline Dy0.4Sm0.6FeO3 orthoferrite prepared via the sol–gel method, and sintered at 800°C, 1000°C, and 1200°C. Rietveld refinement of XRD confirmed that the samples sintered at 800°C and 1000°C exhibit a single phase, whereas the sample sintered at 1200°C shows a small amount of Dy3Fe5O12 impurity. Room temperature Raman spectra confirmed the active vibrational modes of Dy0.4Sm0.6FeO3 and the impurity phase. FESEM images illustrate an increase in grain size with increasing sintering temperature and sintering at 1000°C shows less porosity. P-E loop data reveal the deficient ferroelectric and leaky nature of the samples. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss increase with increasing sintering temperature, and the dielectric relaxation phenomena is shifted to the high temperature side with increasing sintering temperature. The dielectric loss and activation energy are lower for the sample sintered at 1000°C compared to the other samples. The findings of this paper establish that the sample sintered at 1000°C, Dy0.4Sm0.6FeO3 , optimizes the structural, electrical, and dielectric properties.Dy0.4Sm0.6FeO3 sample prepared through the sol–gel method and sintered at 800°C, 1000°C, and 1200°C, investigated for their structural, electrical, and dielectric properties.DSFO samples sintered at 800°C and 1000°C exhibit a single phase without any impurity.