Preparation and ac electrical characterizations of Cd doped SnO2 nanoparticles

Nanoparticles (NPs) of the Sn_1?xCd_xO₂ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) were synthesized through soft chemistry method. These NPs were characterized for structural, morphological and electrical properties by X-ray diffraction, High resolution transmission electron microscopy and dielectric spectroscopy techniques respectively. Structural analysis confirms that all the NPs are having single phase rutile tetragonal structure. The NPs are of spherical shape and average size of these is found to decrease with Cd doping. Dielectric permittivity and AC conductivity of all the NPs were evaluated as a function of frequency and composition at room temperature. The frequency response of ε_r, ε_i, tan δ and σ _ac show that the dispersion is due to the interfacial polarization and these parameters decrease with doping of Cd in the SnO₂ matrix. The possible correlation between observed dielectric properties and size of NPs, and hence disorder in the system are explored.