Studies on Crystallographic and Electrical Behavior of Neodymium Substituted Perovskite: La1-xNdxMnO3.

Perovskite structured ceramic, phases, namely, La0.9Nd0.1MnO3 (LMNd-1) and La0.7Nd0.3MnO3 (LMNd-3) synthesized by oxide route method crystallize in the rhombohedral symmetry (space group R-3c). Their structure refinement converged to satisfactory values of Rietveld parameters : R-p, R-wp and goodness of fit. Infrared absorptions of M-O stretching and bending vibrations have-been assigned. Crystal morphology and composition of phases have been analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis respectively. Electrical properties of material have been investigated by impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range 42 Hz to 5 MHz at temperatures. between 50-300 degrees C.Nyquist plots show the dominance of grain contribution and Debye-like relaxation in the materials. Conductivity data as a function of temperature and frequency suggest semiconducting behavior of the materials.