Temperature-dependent structure and magnetization of YCrO3 compound

We have grown a YCrO$_3$ single crystal by the floating-zone method and studied its temperature-dependent crystalline structure and magnetization by x-ray powder diffraction and PPMS DynaCool measurements. All diffraction patterns were well indexed by an orthorhombic structure with space group of $Pbnm$ (No. 62). From 36 K to 300 K, no structural phase transition occurs in the pulverized YCrO$_3$ single crystal. The antiferromagnetic phase transition temperature was determined as $T_\textrm{N} = 141.58(5)$ K by the magnetization versus temperature measurements. We found weak ferromagnetic behavior in the magnetic hysteresis loops below $T_\textrm{N}$. Especially, we demonstrated that the antiferromagnetism and weak ferromagnetism appear simultaneously upon cooling. The lattice parameters ($a$, $b$, $c$, and $V$) deviate downward from the Grüneisen law, displaying an anisotropic magnetostriction effect. We extracted temperature variation of the local distortion parameter $\varDelta$. Compared to the $\varDelta$ value of Cr ions, Y, O1, and O2 ions show one order of magnitude larger $\varDelta$ values indicative of much stronger local lattice distortions. Moreover, the calculated bond valence states of Y and O2 ions have obvious subduction charges.