Dielectric behavior of NaClO3 and NaBrO3

Abstract
A systematic measurement of the dielectric constant (ε) and dielectric loss (tan δ) has been carried out on NaClO3 and NaBrO3 in the frequency range 100 Hz to 10 MHz at temperatures ranging from — 180°C to 240°C. The dielectric constants become frequency independent above 50 KHz. The data on temperature variation of ε at 106 Hz have been fitted to Curie—Weiss type equations and also to polynomials in the temperature.The controversy regarding ferroelectricity in these crystals is briefly discussed and it is suggested that it is preferable to represent data on temperature variation of dielectric constant by a polynomial.The data on tan δ are utilised to evaluate the conductivity and thence, the activation energy for conduction.