Novel Ni-Doped Bismuth-Magnesium Tantalate Pyrochlores: Structural and Electrical Properties, Thermal Expansion, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectra

The samples of Ni-doped bismuth magnesium tantalate pyrochlores with the general formula Bi-1.4(Mg1-xNix)(0.7)Ta1.4O6.3 (x = 0.3, 0.5, 0.7) were obtained by solid-phase synthesis. The crystal structure of the pyrochlore type (sp. gr. Fd (3) over barm:2) was clarified by the Rietveld method on the basis of X-ray powder diffraction data. The unit cell parameters increase with the decreasing nickel content in the range from 10.5319(1) to 10.5391(1) angstrom. The electronic state of atoms is established by the XPS method. According to XPS analysis, bismuth atoms have an effective charge of +3, nickel atoms +(2 + delta), and tantalum ions +(5 - delta). The coefficient of thermal expansion of the lattice of the samples was calculated from high-temperature X-ray structural measurements in the range of -180 to 1050 degrees C. The average values of linear TECs a in the temperature ranges of 30-570 and 600-1050 degrees C are 5.1 x 10(-6) and 8.1 x 10(-6) degrees C-1, respectively. The monotonicity of the change in the thermal expansion coefficient in the temperature range from -100 to 1050 degrees C indicates the absence of phase transformations. All samples are dielectric and exhibit high activation energies similar to 2.0 eV, moderately high dielectric constants similar to 24-28, and tangent dielectric losses similar to 0.002 at 1 MHz and 21 degrees C. The electrical properties of the samples are described by a simple parallel equivalent scheme. The chemical composition of the materials has little effect on the polarizability of the medium or on the value of the activation energy of the conductivity. Ionic processes in investigated materials at frequencies 200-10(6) Hz and at temperatures 100-450 degrees C were not detected.