Electrical Conductivity Behavior of La0.5Ca0.5Mn0.5Fe0.5O3 Synthetized by the Solid State Reaction

La0.5Ca0.5Mn0.5Fe0.5O3 was synthesized using the solid state reaction method. This method consists of two main processes: a milling process and a subsequent thermal treatment. Two samples at different conditions were produced: one using 2 h of milling time and 900°C (M-I), and the other using 6 h of milling time and 1200°C of thermal treatment (M-II).  X-ray diffraction analysis indicated, in both cases, an orthorhombic crystalline ordering of the space group Pbnm. For the case of M-I, the material exhibited secondary phases, different than the desired phase; on the contrary, in M-II, these secondary phases were not present. The dielectric response determined using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) performed in a temperature range between 20°C and 300°C exhibited a thermally activated semiconductor behavior with activation energies of Eg= 0.11±0.05 eV and Eg= 0.47±0.06 eV for M-I and M-II, respectively.