Structural, electrical, optical and magneto-electric characteristics of chemically synthesized CaCu3Ti4O12 dielectric ceramics

CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) was prepared by a chemical reaction method. The pellets prepared from the calcined powder of the material were sintered at 1100 degrees C. Analysis of x- ray diffraction pattern, recorded on CCTO powder, confirms the phase formation of CCTO. Studies of dielectric (epsilon(D), tan delta) and impedance parameters using dielectric and impedance spectroscopy of the compound have provided information about the electrical properties and the dielectric relaxation mechanism of the material. Detailed studies on the variation of electrical conductivity (dc) with temperature show semi- conducting nature of the material. Study of frequency (of applied electric field) dependence of ac conductivity at different temperatures suggests that the compound follows the Jonscher's power law. Complex impedance spectroscopic analysis suggests that the semicircles formed in the Nyquist plot are connected to the grains, grain boundary and interface effects. An optical energy band gap of similar to 1.9 eV is obtained from the UV-visible absorbance spectrum. The magnetic data related to magneto-electric (ME) coefficient, measured by varying dc bias magnetic field, have been obtained at room temperature.