Physical and Dielectric Properties of Polycrystalline LaV$_{0.5}$Nb$_{0.5}$O$_4$

Abstract

We report a detailed investigation of the structural, electronic, vibrational, and dielectric properties of polycrystalline LaV$_{0.5}$Nb$_{0.5}$O$_4$ samples, prepared at two sintering temperatures (1000\degree C and 1250\degree C). The introduction of Nb$^{5+}$ at the V$^{5+}$ site leads to notable structural and vibrational changes, which can be attributed to their isoelectronic nature and the comparatively larger ionic radius of Nb$^{5+}$. The Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction patterns confirms a coexistence of monoclinic ($P$2$_{1}$/$n$) and scheelite-type tetragonal ($I$4$_{1}$/$a$) phases; for example, with a fraction of 4\% and 96\% for the sample annealed at 1250\degree C. The particle morphology has altered from spherical (1000\degree C) to irregular-shaped (1250\degree C) as a result of increase in annealing temperature. The Raman spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy have been used to understand the vibrational and electronic properties. An optical band gap of 2.7~eV for the sample sintered at 1250\degree C is calculated using Ultraviolet-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements. The dielectric studies shows the higher dielectric permittivity ($\epsilon$$_{r}$) and lower dielectric loss for the sample annealed at 1250\degree C.