Structure and electrical properties of ZnO doped barium-metaphosphate glasses

The zinc–barium–metaphosphate glasses (ZBP) with composition of (50 − x)BaO–xZnO–50P2O5; (0 ≤ x ≤ 50 mol %), have been successfully prepared. The influences of the amount of ZnO on the structure, physical and chemical properties, and crystallization behavior of the glasses were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray techniques (XRD/EDX). The density and the glass transition temperature (Tg) of glass were measured using Archimedesʹ method and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The FTIR analysis revealed a shortening of the phosphate chains by the shift of (P–O–P)as band to higher wave number owing to the substitution ZnO of BaO. The amount of ZnO was further increased, [ZnO4] tetrahedra were formed and ZnO acted as a glass network former, integrating the phosphate glass network. The density, chemical stability and the activation energy of crystallization of the glasses increased with the amount of ZnO, whereas the glass transition temperature decreased. The dc- and ac-conductivity were measured. The results obtained from ac-conductivity reveals that the values of σ(ω) increases on increasing frequency and it is also increases on increasing the ZnO content level. The dc-conductivity of all the glasses increases with an increase in temperature. The dielectric permittivity (ɛ′) and loss factor (ɛ″) were calculated in the frequency range of 50 Hz–1 MHz. The dipolar relaxation occurred between 105–106 Hz. Finally, the dielectric strength (Δɛ) and the relaxation time (τ) were estimated.