Crystal structure refinement, spectral, elemental and dielectric investigations of Cd2+ substituted CrFeO3 materials for high frequency applications.

Cadmium (Cd) substituted for CrCd x Fe 1-x O 3 (x = 0.0, 0.025, 0.050, 0.075) nanocrystallites were prepared using the sol-gel technique. The synthesized materials were sintered at 700 °C for 4 h to obtain the CrCd x Fe 1-x O 3 phase. The XRD analysis evidenced the formation of a single-phase rhombohedral structure of all the synthesized materials. The crystallite size values of prepared samples lie in the nanoscale range (37–42 nm). Rietveld refinement endorsed materials' pure-phase rhombohedral structure. Cationic distribution and the Wykoff position are also derived from Rietveld refinement results. A 3D crystal structure was drawn using a CIF file from refinement results. The vibrational band ν 1 oscillates from 492 to 502 cm−1 due to substituting Cd2+ at the tetrahedral site, while ν 2 remains unaltered. XPS results verified the existence of all metal ions and their related electronic state. The electrical transport features were evaluated at microwave frequency. The values of dielectric parameters were optimized with frequency and Cd2+ substitution. Grain boundary contribution was elucidated by impedance Cole-Cole plots. The minimum reflection loss of −57 dB suggested the potential use of these materials in microwave absorption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]