Synthesis,Structural and Magnetic Resonance Studies of YxEr2-xCu2O5 Compounds

Polycrystalline samples of Y_xEr_2—xCu₂O₅ compound, where x = 2.0, 1.75, 1.5, 1.25. 1.0,0.75.0.25, and 0.0, have been synthesized by the solid state reaction technique. The XRD measurements have shown that the obtained samples were single-phase and belong to the orthorhombic space group Pna2₁. The measured lattice constants of Y_xEr_2-xCu₂O₅ compounds scaled linearly with the itrium index x. The TGA/DSC measurements allowed to establish the temperature range of stability for the samples and enabled the observation of their decomposition. EPR studies at room temperature showed that the integral intensity of the resonance line decreases nonlinearly with the increasing erbium content and that the Er₂Cu₂O₅ compound is EPR inactive. A broad copper EPR line has been analyzed in order to establish the contributions of different spin—spin relaxation mechanism. The observed resonance linewidth has been explained by the action of the dipole—dipole, anisotropic exchange, and Dzialoshinky—Moriya (DM) interactions.