The effect of cation disorder on magnetic properties of new double perovskites La2NixCo1-xMnO6 (x = 0.2 - 0.8)

Abstract

Solid solutions of new double perovskite oxides La2NixCo1-xMnO6 (x = 0.2, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 0.8) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The X-ray powder diffraction data show that all the compounds crystallize in the monoclinic structure with space group P21/n at room temperature. The elementary composition of the powders was determined by the electron Probe Microanalysis. Raman and IR spectra show strong bands at (520, 650 cm?1) and (426, 600 cm?1) respectively, attributed to the stretching vibration of Ni/Co-O and Mn-O bonds in the structure. The magnetic studies for all the compounds have been performed in both DC and AC magnetic fields in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K. All samples exhibit a main paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (PM-FM) transition between 232 K and 260 K, and their Curie temperature increases rapidly with increasing x values. Three samples with x = 0.2, 0.25 and 0.5 respectively display also a secondary PM-FM transition between 200 K and 208 K. The thermal variation of out of phase component of AC susceptibility presents also frequency-dependent transitions between 65 K and 110 K unfolding the existence of super-paramagnetic mono-domains in all samples. The band gap energy has been calculated and revealing semiconductor behavior for all samples.