Phase Stability and Magnetic Properties of Compositionally Complex n = 2 Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskites.

Four new compositionally complex perovskites with multiple (four or more) cations on the B site of the perovskites have been studied. The materials have the general formula La0.5Sr2.5(M)2O7-δ (M = Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) and have been synthesized via conventional solid-state synthesis. The compounds are the first reported examples of compositionally complex n = 2 Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites. The structure and properties of the materials have been determined using powder X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and magnetometry. The materials are isostructural and adopt the archetypal I4/mmm space group with the following unit cell parameters: a ∼ 3.84 Å, and c ∼ 20.1 Å. The measured compositions from energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were La0.51(2)Sr2.57(7)Ti0.41(2)Mn0.41(2)Fe0.39(2)Co0.38(1)Ni0.34(1)O7-δ, La0.59(4)Sr2.29(23)Mn0.58(5)Fe0.56(6)Co0.55(6)Ni0.42(4)O7-δ, La0.54(2)Sr2.49(13)Mn0.41(2)Fe0.81(5)Co0.39(3)Ni0.36(3)O7-δ, and La0.53(4)Sr2.55(19)Mn0.67(6)Fe0.64(5)Co0.31(2)Ni0.30(3)O7-δ. No magnetic contribution is observed in the neutron diffraction data, and magnetometry indicates a spin glass transition at low temperatures.

Antiferromagnetic short-range order and cluster spin-glass state in diluted spinel ZnTiCoO4.

The nature of magnetism in the doubly-diluted spinel ZnTiCoO4= (Zn2+)A[Ti4+Co2+]BO4is reported here employing the temperature and magnetic field (H) dependence of dc susceptibility (χ), ac susceptibilities (χ' andχ″), and heat capacity (Cp) measurements. Whereas antiferromagnetic (AFM) Néel temperatureTN= 13.9 K is determined from the peak in the ∂(χT)/∂TvsTplot, the fit of the relaxation timeτ(determined from the peak in theχ″ vsTdata at different frequencies) to the Power law:τ=τ0[(T-TSG)/TSG]-zνyields the spin glass freezing temperatureTSG= 12.9 K,zν∼ 11.75, andτ0∼ 10-12s. Since the magnitudes ofτ0andzνdepend on the magnitude ofTSG, a procedure is developed to find the optimum value ofTSG= 12.9 K. A similar procedure is used to determine the optimumT0= 10.9 K in the Vogel-Fulcher law:τ=τ0 exp[Ea/kB(T-T0)] yieldingEa/kB= 95 K, andτ0= 1.6 × 10-13s. It is argued that the comparatively large magnitude of the Mydosh parameter Ω = 0.026 andkBT0/Ea= 0.115 (≪1) suggests cluster spin-glass state in ZnTiCoO4below TSG. In theCpvsTdata from 1.9 K to 50 K, only a broad peak near 20 K is observed. This and absence ofλ-type anomaly nearTNorTSGcombined with the reduced value of change in magnetic entropy from 50 K to 1.9 K suggests only short-range AFM ordering in the system, consistent with spin-glass state. The field dependence ofTSGshows slight departure (ϕ∼ 4.0) from the non-mean-field Almeida-Thouless lineTSG(H) =TSG(0) (1 -AH2/ϕ). Strong temperature dependence of magnetic viscositySand coercivityHCwithout exchange bias, both tending to zero on approach toTSGfrom below, further support the spin-glass state which results from magnetic dilution driven by diamagnetic Zn2+and Ti4+ions leading to magnetic frustration. Magnetic phase diagram in theH-Tplane is established using the high-field magnetization dataM(H,T) forTTN, the data ofχvsTare fit to the modified Curie-Weiss law,χ=χ0+C/(T+θ), withχ0= 3.2 × 10-4emu mol-1Oe-1yieldingθ= 4 K andC= 2.70 emu K mol-1Oe-1. This magnitude ofCyields effective magnetic moment = 4.65µBfor Co2+, characteristic of Co2+ions with some contribution from spin-orbit coupling. Molecular field theory with effective spinS= 3/2 of Co2+is used to determine the nearest-neighbor exchange constantJ1/kB= 2.39 K AFM and next-nearest-neighbor exchange constantJ2/kB= -0.66 K (ferromagnetic).

Antiferromagnetism, spin-glass state, H-T phase diagram, and inverse magnetocaloric effect in Co2RuO4.

Static and dynamic magnetic properties of normal spinel Co2RuO4 = (Co2+)[Formula: see text] are reported based on our investigations of the temperature (T), magnetic field (H) and frequency (f) dependence of the ac-magnetic susceptibilities and dc-magnetization (M) covering the temperature range T = 2 K-400 K and H up to 90 kOe. These investigations show that Co2RuO4 exhibits an antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at T N ∼ 15.2 K, along with a spin-glass state at slightly lower temperature (T SG) near 14.2 K. It is argued that T N is mainly governed by the ordering of the spins of Co2+ ions occupying the A-site, whereas the exchange interaction between the Co2+ ions on the A-site and randomly distributed Ru3+ on the B-site triggers the spin-glass phase, Co3+ ions on the B-site being in the low-spin non-magnetic state. Analysis of measurements of M (H, T) for T < T N are used to construct the H-T phase diagram showing that T SG shifts to lower T varying as H2/3.2 expected for spin-glass state whereas T N is nearly H-independent. For T > T N, analysis of the paramagnetic susceptibility (χ) vs. T data are fit to the modified Curie-Weiss law, χ = χ 0 + C/(T + θ), with χ 0 = 0.0015 emu mol-1Oe-1 yielding θ = 53 K and C = 2.16 emu-K mol-1Oe-1, the later yielding an effective magnetic moment µ eff = 4.16 µ B comparable to the expected value of µ eff = 4.24 µ B per Co2RuO4. Using T N, θ and high temperature series for χ, dominant exchange constant J 1/k B ∼ 6 K between the Co2+ on the A-sites is estimated. Analysis of the ac magnetic susceptibilities near T SG yields the dynamical critical exponent zν = 5.2 and microscopic spin relaxation time τ 0 ∼ 1.16 × 10-10 sec characteristic of cluster spin-glasses and the observed time-dependence of M(t) is supportive of the spin-glass state. Large M-H loop asymmetry at low temperatures with giant exchange bias effect (H EB ∼ 1.8 kOe) and coercivity (H C ∼ 7 kOe) for a field cooled sample further support the mixed magnetic phase nature of this interesting spinel. The negative magnetocaloric effect observed below T N is interpreted to be due to the AFM and SG ordering. It is argued that the observed change from positive MCE (magnetocaloric effect) for T > T N to inverse MCE for T < T N observed in Co2RuO4 (and reported previously in other systems also) is related to the change in sign of (∂M/∂T) vs. T data.

Effects of Cu doping on the electronic structure and magnetic properties of MnCo2O4 nanostructures.

Reported here are the results and their analysis from our detailed investigations of the effects of Cu doping ([Formula: see text]) on the electronic structure and magnetic properties of the spinel [Formula: see text]O4. A detailed comparison is given for the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] cases for both the bulk-like samples and nanoparticles. The electronic structure determined from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Rietveld analysis of x-ray diffraction patterns shows the structure to be: ([Formula: see text])A [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]]B [Formula: see text] i.e. [Formula: see text] substitutes for [Formula: see text] on the octahedral B-sites. For the bulk samples, the ferrimagnetic [Formula: see text] K for [Formula: see text] is lowered to [Formula: see text] K for the [Formula: see text] sample, this decrease being due to the effect of Cu doping. For the nanosize [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) sample, the lower [Formula: see text] K ([Formula: see text] K) is observed using [Formula: see text] analysis, this lowering being due to finite size effects. For [Formula: see text], fits of dc paramagnetic susceptibility data of [Formula: see text] versus T in nanosize samples to the Néel expression are used to determine the exchange interactions between the A and B sites with exchange constants: [Formula: see text] K (4.1 K), [Formula: see text] K (16.3 K) and [Formula: see text] K (13.8 K) for [Formula: see text]. The temperature dependence of ac susceptibilities [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] at different frequencies shows that in bulk samples of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the transition at T C is the normal second order transition. But for the nanosize [Formula: see text] and 0.2 samples, analysis of the ac susceptibilities shows that the ferrimagnetic transition at T C is followed by a re-entrant spin-glass transition at lower temperatures [Formula: see text] K (138 K) for [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]). Analysis of the ac susceptibilities, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], versus T data is done in terms of two scaling laws: (i) Vogel-Fulcher law [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]; and (ii) power law of critical slowing-down [Formula: see text]. These fits confirm the existence of glassy behavior below T SG with the parameters [Formula: see text] (8.91), [Formula: see text] (9.6 × 10[Formula: see text]) and [Formula: see text] K (∼138 K) for the samples [Formula: see text] (0.2), with similar results obtained for other samples. The linear behavior of the peak maximum in [Formula: see text] versus [Formula: see text] (AT-line) further supports the existence of glassy states in nanosize samples. For [Formula: see text], the temperature and composition dependence of the hysteresis loop parameters are investigated; all the samples with x ⩾ 0.1 have the coercivity H C and remanence [Formula: see text]. Since the results reported here in these nanostructures are significantly different from those in bulk [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], further investigations of their magnetic structures using neutron diffraction are warranted.