Fe2SnO4 Inverse Spinel Ceramics: Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor with Tunable Small-Polaron Transport for NTC and Optoelectronic Applications

IF 2.8 4区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Journal of Electronic Materials Pub Date : 2026-08-13 DOI:10.1007/s11664-026-13076-6

Mnakri Minyar, Saber Nasri, Nazir Mustapha, Mokhtar Hjiri, Malika Ben Gzaiel, Abderrazek Oueslati

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Abstract

Fe₂SnO₄ inverse spinel ceramics were synthesized via a conventional solid-state reaction to establish a quantitative structure–property correlation spanning crystallography, optical response, and charge transport dynamics. X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement confirmed a single-phase inverse spinel structure with high crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy revealed interconnected nanoparticles with an average diameter of ~ 41.9 nm. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy yielded a direct bandgap of 4.0 ± 0.12 eV and Urbach energy of 0.55 eV, indicating limited structural disorder and suitability for UV-range optoelectronic applications. Broadband impedance spectroscopy (1–10⁶ Hz, 413–553 K) demonstrated negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behavior and non-Debye relaxation, with equivalent circuit modeling effectively separating grain and grain-boundary contributions. Alternating current (AC) conductivity analysis identified a frequency-dependent crossover between two polaronic transport regimes: correlated barrier hopping (CBH) at high frequencies and non-overlapping small-polaron tunneling (NSPT) at intermediate frequencies. Direct current (DC) conductivity followed an Arrhenius dependence with an activation energy of 0.91 eV, confirming thermally activated small-polaron hopping between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ octahedral sites. These results establish a coherent framework linking lattice disorder to charge carrier dynamics in Fe₂SnO₄, highlighting its potential for NTC thermistors, UV photodetectors, and resistive gas sensors where predictable, defect-mediated conduction is essential.

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Fe2SnO4逆尖晶石陶瓷：具有可调谐小极化子输运的NTC和光电子应用的宽带隙半导体

通过常规固相反应合成了Fe2SnO4逆尖晶石陶瓷，建立了晶体学、光学响应和电荷输运动力学的定量结构-性能相关性。采用Rietveld细化的x射线衍射证实了一种具有高结晶度的单相反尖晶石结构。扫描电镜显示纳米颗粒相互连接，平均直径约41.9 nm。紫外-可见（UV-Vis）漫反射光谱的直接带隙为4.0±0.12 eV，乌尔巴赫能量为0.55 eV，表明结构混乱程度有限，适合于紫外范围的光电应用。宽带阻抗谱（1-106 Hz, 413-553 K）显示出负温度电阻系数（NTCR）行为和非debye松弛，等效电路模型有效地分离了晶粒和晶界贡献。交流电（AC）电导率分析确定了两种极化子输运机制之间的频率相关交叉：高频相关势垒跳变（CBH）和中频非重叠小极化子隧道（NSPT）。直流（DC）电导率遵循Arrhenius依赖，活化能为0.91 eV，证实了Fe2+和Fe3+八面体位点之间热激活的小极化子跳变。这些结果建立了一个连贯的框架，将Fe2SnO4中的晶格无序与电荷载流子动力学联系起来，突出了其在NTC热敏电阻，UV光电探测器和电阻气体传感器中的潜力，其中可预测的，缺陷介导的传导是必不可少的。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Electronic Materials 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

4.80%

发文量

693

审稿时长

3.8 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Electronic Materials (JEM) reports monthly on the science and technology of electronic materials, while examining new applications for semiconductors, magnetic alloys, dielectrics, nanoscale materials, and photonic materials. The journal welcomes articles on methods for preparing and evaluating the chemical, physical, electronic, and optical properties of these materials. Specific areas of interest are materials for state-of-the-art transistors, nanotechnology, electronic packaging, detectors, emitters, metallization, superconductivity, and energy applications. Review papers on current topics enable individuals in the field of electronics to keep abreast of activities in areas peripheral to their own. JEM also selects papers from conferences such as the Electronic Materials Conference, the U.S. Workshop on the Physics and Chemistry of II-VI Materials, and the International Conference on Thermoelectrics. It benefits both specialists and non-specialists in the electronic materials field. A journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.