Influence of annealing atmosphere on the properties of La0.5Sr0.5MnO3

The structure, magnetic and electrical transport properties of La_0.5Sr_0.5MnO₃ annealed in different atmosphere have been investigated. No evident change of structural symmetry and the Curie temperature is observed for the samples. The resistivity at zero magnetic field of the samples annealed in air and nitrogen exhibits a metal–insulator transition, while no metal–insulator transition is observed for the sample annealed in oxygen, and for which the resistivity decreases monotonously with increasing temperature. Surprisingly, when an external magnetic field is applied, a metal–insulator transition appears for the sample annealed in oxygen. It is suggested that the annealing atmosphere affects the competition between FM and AFM phases due to the change of Mn⁴⁺/Mn³⁺ ratio and the oxygen/cation vacancies, and has a great influence on the electrical transport properties of La_0.5Sr_0.5MnO₃.     

Synthesis and magnetic and electrical study of Tm<Subscript> <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis> </Subscript>Mn<Subscript>1–<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis> </Subscript>S solid solutions

New antiferromagnetic semiconductor compounds Tm_xMn_1–xS (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) with an NaCl-type FCC lattice are synthesized, and their structural, magnetic, and electrical properties are investigated at temperatures of 80–1100 K in magnetic fields of up to 10 kOe. Anomalies in the temperature dependence of resistivity in the region of magnetic transition are observed. The activation energy of the synthesized compounds is found and shown to grow along with the concentration of a substitute.     

Resistivity superconducting transition in single-crystalline Cd0.95Ni0.05Sb system consisting of non-superconducting CdSb and NiSb phases

Resistivity superconducting transition has been for the first time found in single crystal of two-component 0.95(CdSb)–0.05(NiSb) system. End members of the system are not superconductors under normal conditions. Insulating behavior in temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity, which is due to hopping conductivity, precedes the transition. The resistivity superconducting transition is rather broad, since at cooling down the electrical resistivity starts to fall at 10.5 K, whereas zero resistivity is reached only at ~2.3 K. Longitudinal magnetic field gradually depresses superconductivity and shifts the superconducting transition to lower temperatures. Under magnetic field above 0.5 T, superconductivity is totally destroyed. Main features observed in the resistivity superconducting transition, including its unusually big width and insulating electrical behavior above the transition, can be related to inhomogeneity of the single crystal studied. According to XRD and SEM examinations, the single crystal consists of major CdSb phase and minor NiSb phase. The NiSb phase forms inhomogeneities in the CdSb matrix. Micro-sized needle-like NiSb crystals and nano-sized Ni_1-xSb_x clusters can be considered as typical inhomogeneities.     

Low temperature resistivity minimum and its correlation with magnetoresistance in La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 nanomanganites

A systematic investigation of structural, magnetic and electrical properties of nanocrystalline La_0.67Ba_0.33MnO₃ materials, prepared by citrate gel method has been undertaken. The temperature-dependant low-temperature resistivity in ferromagnetic metallic (∼50 K) phase shows upturn behavior and is suppressed with applied magnetic field. The experimental data (<75 K) can be best fitted in the frame work of Kondo-like spin-dependant scattering, electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions. It has been found that upturn behavior may be attributed to weak spin disorder scattering including both spin polarization and grain boundary tunneling effects, which are the characteristic features of extrinsic magnetoresistance behavior, generally found in nanocrystalline manganites. The variation of electrical resistivity with temperature in the high temperature ferromagnetic metallic part of electrical resistivity (75K<T<T_P) has been fitted with grain/domain boundary, electron-electron and magnon scattering mechanisms, while the insulating region (T>T_P) of resistivity data has been explained based on adiabatic small polaron hopping mechanism.     

High-precision measurements of the compressibility and the electrical resistivity of bulk <Emphasis Type="Italic">g</Emphasis>-As<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript> glasses at a hydrostatic pressure up to 8.5 GPa

High-precision studies of the volume and the electrical resistivity of g-As₂Te₃ glasses at a high hydrostatic pressure up to 8.5 GPa at room temperature are performed. The glasses exhibit elastic behavior in compression only at a pressure up to 1 GPa, and a diffuse structural transformation and inelastic density relaxation (logarithmic in time) begin at higher pressures. When the pressure increases further, the relaxation rate passes through a sharp maximum at 2.5 GPa, which is accompanied by softening the relaxing bulk modulus, and then decreases, being noticeable up to the maximum pressure. When pressure is relieved, an unusual inflection point is observed in the baric dependence of the bulk modulus near 4 GPa. The polyamorphic transformation is only partly reversible and the residual densification after pressure release is 2%. In compression, the electrical resistivity of the g-As₂Te₃ glasses decreases exponentially with increasing pressure (at a pressure up to 2 GPa); then, it decreases faster by almost three orders of magnitude in the pressure range 2–3.5 GPa. At a pressure of 5 GPa, the electrical resistivity reaches 10^–3 Ω cm, which is characteristic of a metallic state; this resistivity continues to decrease with increasing pressure and reaches 1.7 × 10^–4 Ω cm at 8.1 GPa. The reverse metal–semiconductor transition occurs at a pressure of 3 GPa when pressure is relieved. When the pressure is decreased to atmospheric pressure, the electrical resistivity of the glasses is below the initial pressure by two–three orders of magnitude. Under normal conditions, both the volume and the electrical resistivity relax to quasi-equilibrium values in several months. Comparative structural and Raman spectroscopy investigations demonstrate that the glasses subjected to high pressure have the maximum chemical order. The glasses with a higher order have a lower electrical resistivity. The polyamorphism in the As₂Te₃ glasses is caused by both structural changes and chemical ordering. The g-As₂Te₃ compound is the first example of glasses, where the reversible metallization under pressure has been studied under hydrostatic conditions.     

Effect of mechanical tension on electrical transport properties of amorphous Fe92Zr8 alloy

The effect of mechanical tension and magnetic field on the electrical resistivity of amorphous Fe₉₂Zr₈ alloy has been studied as a function of temperature. The results show that resistivity is enhanced by the applied tension and magnetic field. The increase in the electrical resistivity is attributed to volumetric effect, disorder scattering and thermal vibrations. The observed increase in the Curie temperature caused by the applied stress was found to be about 7×10^–6 °C/PA and indicates that some structural changes occurred.     

Magnetic and electrical properties of amorphous PdCoP alloys

Magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity measurements were performed (Pd_100?xCo_x)₈₀P₂₀ alloys where 15 < x < 50. The magnetic properties show that these alloys undergo a ferromagnetic transition between 272 and 399 K as the cobalt concentration increases from 15 to 50 atomic %. Below 20 atomic % Co the short-range exchange interactions which produce the ferromagnetism are unable to establish a long-range magnetic order and a peak in the magnetization shows up at the lowest temperature range under an applied field of 6.0 kOe. The electrical resistivity of these alloys has been measured from 4.2 K up to the vinicity of the melting point (900 K). The electrical resistivity data could be interpreted by the coexistence fo a Kondo-like minimum and ferromagnetism. The minimum becomes less important as the transition metal concentration increases. The coefficients of In T and T² become smaller and concentration dependent. The spin ordering in such alloys can be simulated as either the ordering due to an applied “external field” or as an increase in “internal fields”. These are due to an increase in transition metal concentration. The negative magnetoresistivity is a strong indication of the existence of localized moment.     

Measurements of the CeAl2 and LeAl2 resistivities under pressure: Variations of the Kondo effect and of the crystalline field of cerium

The electrical resistivity of CeAl₂ and LaAl₂ compounds has been measured in the 1.3–300°K temperature range and under pressure up to 15 kbar. The pressure dependence of the magnetic CeAl₂ resistivity has been accounted theoretically by the influence of the crystalline field on the Kondo effect, the latter varying under pressure, because of the decrease of the distance between the 4f level and the Fermi level.     

Vortex glass scaling in Pb-doped Bi-2223 single crystal

We report on study of the vortex liquid in Pb-doped Bi-2223 single crystal using the in-plane resistivity measurements as a function of temperature and magnetic field up to 6 T applied perpendicular to CuO planes. Below T _c at the upper part of superconducting transition we found Arrhenius-like resistivity behavior. With further temperature decrease close to onset of dissipation resistivity shows power law dependence on temperature signaling approaching vortex-glass transition. The critical exponents ν(z − 1) = 4.6 ± 0.5 are found to be field independent within experimental errors. We also present magnetic phase diagram defining region of nonzero critical current for Pb-doped Bi-2223 single crystal.     

Pressure-induced magnetic transition in Fe2P

The weak field ac susceptibility and the resistivity of Fe₂P single crystals were measured as functions of temperature from 4.2–300 K and as functions of hydrostatic pressures up to 20 kbar, using a newly designed clamp-type pressure cell. The Curie temperature, and the first-order transition temperature, decreased rapidly with increasing pressure, and ferromagnetism vanished at about 13 kbar at 0 K. A second-order transition temperature, as well as the first-order transition, appeared in the region below 170 K and above 5 kbar (triple point) and a new pressure-induced magnetic phase was found. The phase is proposed to be antiferromagnetic for reasons discussed in the paper.     

Correlation of electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties of the La0.85Ag0.15MnO3 manganite near the phase transition temperature

The correlation between electrical, magnetic, and lattice properties of manganites has been studied by analyzing the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of the La_0.85Ag_0.15MnO₃ manganite. The results have been discussed within the model of a phase-separated manganite in terms of the percolation theory. It has been shown that, from analyzing the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the electrical resistivity, it is possible to predict the behavior of the magnetization and specific heat, as well as the change of magnetic entropy near the phase transition temperature, and that the obtained agreement with experimental data for this analysis is quite reasonable.     

Physical properties and anisotropies of the RNiGe3 series (R = Y, Ce-Nd, Sm, Gd-Lu)

We have studied RNiGe₃ (R=Y, Ce-Nd, Sm, Gd-Lu) single crystals by measuring crystal structure and stoichiometry, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance, and specific heat. Clear anisotropies as well as antiferromagnetic ordering in the RNiGe₃ series (R=Ce-Nd, Sm, Gd-Tm) have been observed above 1.8 K from the magnetic susceptibility. A metamagnetic transition in this family (except for R=Sm) was detected at 2 K for applied magnetic fields below 70 kOe. The electrical resistivity of this series follows metallic behavior in the high temperature region. Below the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature a significant anisotropy is exhibited in the resistivity and magnetoresistance for different current directions. The anisotropic magnetic, transport, and thermal properties of RNiGe₃ compounds are discussed in terms of Ni site occupancy as well as a combination of the effect of formation of a magnetic superzone gap and the crystalline electric field.     

Effect of pressure on the electrical resistivity and magnetism in updsn

The electrical resistivity of a UPdSn single crystal exerted to various hydrostatic pressures was measured as a function of temperature and magnetic field. Clear anomalies in the temperature dependence of resistivity along the c-axis mark the magnetic phase transitions between paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic (AF) state at T _N and the AF1?AF2 transition at T ₁. Large negative magnetoresistance effects have been observed not only in the AF state as a result of the metamagnetic transition to canted structure at B _c , but also at temperatures far above T _N . The latter result is attributed to the existence of AF correlations or short range AF orderings in the paramagnetic range. The value of T _N increases with increasing applied pressure, whereas T ₁ simultaneously decreases. It is also found that B _c decreases with increasing pressure. As a consequence, the stability range of the AF-1 phase expands with applied pressure partially on account of the ground-state AF-2 phase.     

Regularities in temperature,magnetic field and pressure effect on the resistive properties of magnetic semiconductors

The influence of hydrostatic pressure, magnetic field and temperature on resistivity behaviour of bulk and film samples La_0.9Mn_1.1O₃ and La_0.56Ca_0.24Mn_1.2O₃ at action of magnetic field and temperature has been analysed. It is established that the maximum of magnetoresistive and the revealed baroresistive, magnetobaroresistive effects coincide at the same temperature T_pp. This temperature is equal to the “metal-semiconductor” phase transition temperature T_ms. “Cooling” and “heating” effects of pressure and magnetic field have been revealed. A mutual correspondence of T–P–H (6.2 K, 1 kbar, 2.7 kOe) influence on polycrystalline sample La_0.9Mn_1.1O₃ resistivity has been determined. The linear change of T_ms(P) and T_ms(H) in La_0.9Mn_1.1O₃, La_0.56Ca_0.24Mn_1.2O₃ resistivity have been found. An importance of the regularities of elastic-deforming correspondence of T–H–P influence on magnetic, resistivity properties, phase transitions and effects was elucidated and explained. An alternating influence of T–H–P and its role in resistivity has been pointed. A correlation between structural, elastic and resistive properties is specified.     

Structural and magnetic characterization of LaSrMnO3 thin films deposited by laser ablation on MgO substrates

La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO_3?δ thin films were deposited by laser ablation on MgO substrates under low oxygen pressure cool down. Their structural and magnetic properties are presented. The magnetic and electrical resistivity measurements indicate a reduction of the Curie and the metal–insulator transition temperatures due to the formation of magnetic inhomogeneneous films, where clusters of a metallic phase are mixed in a magnetically disordered insulating matrix. By a low-angle X-ray reflectivity study we show that the thin films are chemically inhomogeneous with an oxygen deficiency in bulk of the film when compared with the film/air interfacial region.     

On the coexistence of spin and lattice polarons in the La0.67−xEuxCa0.33MnO3 CMR system

The electrical and magnetic transport properties of the La_0.67−xEu_xCa_0.33MnO₃ system exhibit lowering of insulator to metal and paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition temperature (T_C) with the increase of Eu concentration in addition to possessing CMR property. The temperature variation of electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility for x=0.21 is found to have two distinct regions in the paramagnetic state for T>T_P; one with the localization of lattice polaron in the high-temperature region (T>1.5T_P) satisfying the dynamics of variable range hopping (VRH) model and the other being the combination of the spin and lattice polarons in the region T_P<T<1.5T_P. The resistivity variation with temperature and magnetic field, the cusp in the resistivity peak and CMR phenomenon are interpreted in terms of coexistence of spin and lattice small polarons in the intermediate region (T_P<T<1.5T_P). The spin polaron energy in the La_0.46Eu_0.21Ca_0.33MnO₃ system is estimated to be 106.73±0.90 meV and this energy decreases with the increase of external magnetic field. The MR ratio is maximal with a value of 99.99% around the transition temperature and this maximum persists till T→0 K, at the field of 8 T.     

Structural,electrical, magnetic,elastic and anelastic behaviour of Nd0.6Ca0.4MnO3

With a view to understanding the structural, electrical and magnetic, elastic and anelastic behaviour of charge ordered Nd_0.6Ca_0.4MnO₃, systematic investigations were undertaken. The sample was synthesized by a sol–gel route. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) using a Rietveld refinement technique and was found to have orthorhombic structure with space group Pnma. A study on the variation of electrical resistivity with temperature has been carried out in the range 100–300 K and it was found to exhibit a field induced transition. The ac susceptibility studies show two transition temperatures, which are attributed to charge ordering and a Néel transition. Internal friction and longitudinal modulus studies were carried out using the composite oscillator technique. An effort has been made to explain the observed anomalous behaviour by a qualitative model.     

Behavioral response of pyrite structured Co0.2Fe0.8S2 nano-wires under high-pressure up to 8 GPa – Mössbauer spectroscopic and electrical resistivity studies

Pyrite-structured Co_0.2Fe_0.8S₂ nano wires with aspect ratio 45:1, synthesized using solution colloid method were studied under high pressure up to 8 GPa using ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy (using diamond anvil cell) and electrical resistivity (using tungsten carbide cell) techniques. Room temperature S K-edge XANES studies at INFN-LNF synchrotron beam line signified the changes in the electronic structure owing to Co substitution. Magnetic measurements at 5 K demonstrated disordered ferromagnetic behavior similar to Griffith phase. The value of isomer shift identified Fe in divalent, low spin state corresponding to pyrite structure. Higher value of quadrupole splitting observed at ambient condition was due to large lattice strain and electric field gradient generated by large surface to volume ratio of the nano size of the system. With applied pressure, the value followed the expected trend of increase up to 4.3 GPa, then to decrease till 6.4 GPa. Such change in the trend suggested a phase transition. On decompression to ambient pressure, the system seemed to retain high pressure phase and nano structure. The pressure coefficient of electrical resistivity varying from −0.0454 to −0.166 Ω-cm/GPa across the transition pressure of ~4.5 GPa was sluggish suggesting second order phase transition. The pressure-dependent variations by Mössbauer parameters and electrical resistivity showed identical result. This is the first report of pressure effect on nano sized Co_0.2Fe_0.8S₂. Effect of particle size on transition pressure could not be evaluated due to lack of available reports on bulk system.     

Anomalous electrical properties of linear chain mercury compounds

The electrical resistivity of Hg_2.86AsF₆ has been studied as a function of temperature. At room temperature, the resistivity along the chain direction is 10^?4 Ω-cm with an anisotropy of about 10². This incommensurate linear chain system remains metallic at low temperatures with resistance ratio ?_ab(300 K)/ ?_ab(1.4 K) ? 3000 and still increasing with no apparent sign of residual resistivity. A large anisotropic magnetic field dependence of the resistivity is observed below 30 K. Near 4 K, the c-axis resistance drops abruptly more than three orders of magnitude, apparently to zero, while ?_ab is continuous. The c-axis transition is suppressed in a small magnetic field.     

Electrical behavior of nano-polycrystalline (La1−yKy)0.7Ba0.3MnO3 manganites

We present a study of the structural and electrical behavior of nano-polycrystalline mixed barium and alkali substituted lanthanum-based manganite, (La_1−yK_y)_0.7Ba_0.3MnO₃ with y=0.0-0.3. The samples were synthesized by the polymerization complex sol-gel method. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data of the samples show a single-phase character with space group. The magnetic and electrical transport properties of the nano-polycrystalline samples have been investigated in the temperature range 50-300 K and a magnetic field up to 10 kOe. The metal-insulator transition temperature T_p of all the samples decreased with potassium doping, and also, it increased slightly with the application of magnetic field. The low field magnetoresistance, which is absent in the single-crystalline perovskite, was observed and increased with decreasing temperature. Comparing the experimental resistivity data with the theoretical models shows that the high temperature electrical behavior of these samples is in accordance with the adiabatic small polaron-hopping model. In the metal-ferromagnetic region the resistivity is found to be quite well described by ρ=ρ₀+ρ₂T²+ρ_4.5T^4.5.