Exploring the multifunctional potential of Ca2MnTiO6 double perovskite through its optical, electrical, and structural properties

Abstract

Double perovskite oxides are of great interest due to their versatile structural, electrical, and optical properties. Among them, Ca2MnTiO6 has been chosen because calcium provides structural staility, manganese offers variable oxidation states influencing electrical behavior, and titanium enhances visible light absorption, making this compound a promising candidate for multifunctional applications. To explore these potentials, Ca2MnTiO6 was synthesized via the solid-state method at 1300 degrees C. The refined X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis verified the development of a single-phase orthorhombic structure of Ca2MnTiO6 with a Pnma space group and a crystallite size of 79 nm, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed a grain size of 2.32 mu m. The UV-visible spectrum demonstrated a remarkable visible light absorption with a band gap value of 2.94 eV. Dielectric behavior, analyzed with respect to frequency and temperature, was attributed to Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization, with a high value of dielectric constant in the range of 104 and a low dielectric loss at room temperature. Electrical conductivity and leakage current studies indicated semiconducting behavior governed by the Space-Charge-Limited Conduction (SCLC) mechanism. The Nyquist plot described a non-Debye relaxation process, with depressed semicircles arising from grain and grain-boundary effects. These findings highlight the potential and applicability of the prepared material, which has improved electrical and optical properties, making it promising for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications.