The Electric and Dielectric Properties of SrF2:Tb3+ Nanocrystals Revealed by AC Impedance Spectroscopy

The electric and dielectric properties of SrF2:Tb3+ nanocrystals were studied by AC impedance spectroscopy. The grain and grain boundary resistances and the complex permittivity with different Tb-doped concentrations were obtained. As the Tb-doping concentration increases, the grain and grain boundary resistances decrease until 6% and then increase. The Tb doping leads to the increase of interstitial F− quantity and the decrease of the activation enthalpy, and finally causes the decreases of grain and grain boundary resistances. When the Tb-doping is larger than 6%, the effect of the deformation potential scattering is dominant, which leads to the increases of grain and grain boundary resistances. The strong dispersion of the permittivity at the low frequencies indicates the carrier was hopping in the transport process. The ε′ and ε″ values at the low frequencies decrease as the sample resistance increases.