Structural, morphological and dielectric properties of Cerium doped Ce_xBi_2-xSn₂O₇/ (β-Bi₂O₃)-SnO₂ nanocomposites

Demand of energy storage materials has been drastically increased in the past few decades since they play a vital role in the fabrication of storage devices, supercapacitors etc. In this work, cerium-doped CexBi2-xSn2O7/(beta-Bi2O3)-SnO2 nanocomposites with concentration (x = 0.0-1.0) were prepared via sol-gel route. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of mixed-phase nanocomposites and the crystalline structure of the material. The crystallite size was calculated to be between 5 and 18 nm using the Debye Scherrer formula. Fourier-transform infrared-spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of functional groups. The particle size, calculated using a transmission electron microscope, ranged from 13 to 20 nm. Electrical properties like dielectric constant (epsilon '), complex impedance (Z), alternating current (AC) conductivity and other parameters of prepared nanocomposites were studied via impedance analyzer (1 MHz-3 GHz). Dielectric constant increased with the increasing doping concentration. Relaxation phenomenon and polarization stages were discussed in detail. Dielectric studies show that the prepared CexBi2-xSn2O7/(beta-Bi2O3)-SnO2 nanocomposites are found to be a good candidate for energy storage devices, Dye sensitized solar cell, super capacitors and are also suitable for high frequency devices.