Effect of Mixed Transition Metal Ions in B2O3-V2O5-MoO3 Glass System
The effect of having two different transition metal oxides in a glass matrix is an interesting phenomenon to study, as this kind of composition leads to various anomalous effects in terms of electrical and other physical properties. The present series of glasses were explored for density and DC electrical conduction in borate glass systems containing molybdenum and vanadium oxides. The glasses were synthesized using the melt-quench method and their amorphous characteristics were established by XRD techniques. The glasses were explored for density and DC electronic conduction in a temperature range between 318 K and 473 K. The estimated density, molar volume and oxygen packing density (OPD) varied non-linearly with increasing MoO3 content. The DC conduction and activation energy attained maximum and minimum around 0.15 mole fraction of MoO3. This was attributed to the fact that with the addition of MoO3 up to x = 0.15 molar fraction, the V2+ transition metal ions and Mo5+ transition metal ions may create bond defects and non-bridging oxygen (NBO) by altering the bonds of boron-oxygen-boron, boron-oxygen-molybdenum, boron-oxygen-vanadium. As a result, at x = 0.15 mole fraction of MoO3, the glass linkage among the bonds becomes close or tightly packed. Consequently, the net movement of ions begins effortlessly over the pathways of the tightly packed glass system. The high-temperature conduction data were analysed following Mott’s small polaron hopping theory, and the low-temperature conduction data were analysed in terms of Mott’s and Greave’s variable-range hopping conduction models. Several polaron-related parameters were estimated and are discussed.