Correlation between the band-gap energy and the electrical conductivity in MPr₂W₂O₁₀ tungstates (where M = Cd, Co, Mn)

The values of the direct allowed energy gap determined from the UV-vis-NIR measurements and Kubelka-Munk transformation decrease from 3.38 via 2.70 to 2.42 eV for MPr₂W₂O₁₀ in the sequence M = Cd, Co, Mn, while the values of the activation energy increase from 0.11 via 0.44 to 0.47 eV in the same sequence. In other words, the higher the activation energy, the smaller the energy gap. Because the energy gap is typical for insulators, so electron transport phenomena are considered under the Poole-Frenkel effect and small-polaron mechanism.