Insulator-to-metal transition in RCoO3 (R = Pr, Nd)

Abstract

We report a straightforward tool to investigate insulator-metal transition in RCoO3 ([Formula: see text] = Pr, and Nd) nanoparticles prepared by a sol–gel technique. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the as-prepared gel is performed to get the lowest possible calcination temperature of RCoO3 nanoparticles. The Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns for both samples shows that the samples crystallize in the orthorhombic (Pnma) phase at room temperature. The particle size of the sample is determined by scanning electron microscopy. Ac conductivity of the materials is analyzed in the temperature range from 303 K to 673 K and in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 1.1 MHz. The insulator-to-metal transition of PrCoO3 and NdCoO3 is analyzed by ac impedance spectroscopy. DC resistivity measurement is also done to cross check the insulator-metal transition in RCoO3 system.