Vibrational, giant dielectric and AC conductivity properties of agglomerated CuO nanostructures

We report frequency, temperature dependent dielectric response and AC conductivity of nanocrystalline CuO. These nanoparticles were prepared using sol-gel technique. Prepared particles were made as a pellet using hydraulic pressure and thermally heat treated at 950 A degrees C. X-ray diffraction study showed that the prepared particles were crystalline in nature. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies confirm the presence of Cu-O bond. Force constant and bond length is calculated which are 2.17 N cm(-1) and 1.98 respectively. Frequency dependent dielectric studies were done at different temperatures. Measurements show the giant dielectric value (similar to 10(3)) and it increases with increase of temperature. AC conductivity measurements reveal that the conduction depends on both frequency and temperature, this agrees well with Correlated Barrier Hopping model.