Dielectric and NMR studies of nanoporous matrices loaded with sodium nitrite

NMR and dielectric studies have been performed on NaNO2 loaded in mesoporous matrices of MCM-41 and SBA-15 with pore sizes of 20, 37, and 52 Å. The spin-lattice relaxation rate and 23Na NMR line shape, as well as the complex impedance, were measured within a broad temperature interval including the ferroelectric phase transition in bulk NaNO2. Two different phases of sodium nitrite, the crystalline and melt phases, are shown to coexist under conditions of a restricted geometry. The crystalline phase undergoes a ferroelectric phase transition. The melt fraction increases with temperature. The existence of two phases accounts for all experimental data on NaNO2 under conditions of a restricted geometry.