Synthesis and electrical characterization of Ca₂Nd₄Ti₆O₂₀ ceramics

Ca₂Nd₄Ti₆O₂₀, a layered perov skite structured material was synthesized via a chemical (citrate sol-gel) route for the first time using nitrates and alkoxide precursors. Phase analysis of a sample sintered at 1625 °C revealed the formation of an orthorhombic (Pbn21) symmetry. The microstructure of the sample after sintering comprised rod-shaped grains of a size of 1.5 to 6.5µm. The room temperature dielectric constant of the sintered sample was 38 at 100 kHz. The remnant polarization (P_r) and the coercive field (E_c) were about 400 μC/cm² and 8.4 kV/cm, respectively. Impedance spectroscopy revealed that the capacitance (13.7 pF) and activation energy (1.39 eV) of the grain boundary was greater than the capacitance (5.7 pF) and activation energy (1.13 eV) of the grain.