Elena Fertman

Exchange bias in phase-segregated Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 as a function of temperature and cooling magnetic fields

Exchange bias (EB) phenomena have been observed in Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 colossal magnetoresistance perovskite below the Curie temperature TC ∼ 70 K and attributed to an antiferromagnetic–ferromagnetic (FM) spontaneous phase segregated state of this compound. Field cooled magnetic hysteresis loops exhibit shifts toward negative direction of the magnetic field axis. The values of exchange field HEB and coercivity HC are found to be strongly dependent of temperature and strength of the cooling magnetic field Hcool. These effects are attributed to evolution of the FM phase content and a size of FM clusters. A contribution to the total magnetization of the system due to the FM phase has been evaluated. The exchange bias effect decreases with increasing temperature up to TC and vanishes above this temperature with disappearance of FM phase. Relaxation of a non-equilibrium magnetic state of the compound manifests itself through a training effect also observed while studying EB in Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3.

Antisymmetric exchange in La-substituted BiFe0.5Sc0.5O3 system: symmetry adapted distortion modes approach

Abstract Neutron powder diffraction measurements on the 35 % La-substituted Bi1−xLaxFe0.5Sc0.5O3 composition revealed that the samples obtained under high-pressure (6 GPa) and high-temperature (1500 K) conditions crystalize into a distorted perovskite structure with the orthorhombic Pnma symmetry and the unit cell parameters: ao = 5.6745(2) Å, bo = 7.9834(3) Å and co = 5.6310(2) Å. A long-range magnetic ordering takes place below 220 K and implies a G-type magnetic structure with the moments 4.10(4)μB per Fe aligned predominately along the orthorhombic c-axis. The space group representation theory using the orthorhombic symmetry yields four bi-linear coupling schemes for the magnetic order parameters imposed by antisymmetric exchange interactions. The couplings are analysed based on symmetry adapted distortion modes defined in respect of the undistorted cubic perovskite structure. The approach allows a quantitative estimation of the coupling strength. It is shown that the experimentally found spin configuration combines the magnetic order parameters coupled by the atomic displacement modes with the largest amplitudes. The results indicate that the antisymmetric exchange is the dominant anisotropic term which fully controls the direction of the Fe3+ spins in the distorted perovskite lattice.

Magnetic structure of an incommensurate phase of La-doped BiFe0.5Sc0.5O3: Role of antisymmetric exchange interactions

A 20% substitution of Bi with La in the perovskite Bi1-xLaxFe0.5Sc0.5O3 system obtained under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions has been found to induce an incommensurately modulated structural phase. The room temperature X-ray and neutron powder diffraction patterns of this phase were successfully refined using the Imma(0,0,g)s00 superspace group (g=0.534(3)) with the modulation applied to Bi/La- and oxygen displacements. The modulated structure is closely related to the prototype antiferroelectric structure of PbZrO3 which can be considered as the lock-in variant of the latter with g =0.5. Below T_N = 220 K, the neutron diffraction data provide evidence for a long-range G-type antiferromagnetic ordering commensurate with the average Imma structure. Based on a general symmetry consideration, we show that the direction of the spins is controlled by the antisymmetric exchange imposed by the two primary structural distortions, namely oxygen octahedral tilting and incommensurate atomic displacements. The tilting is responsible for the onset of a weak ferromagnetism, observed in magnetization measurements, whereas the incommensurate displacive mode is dictated by the symmetry to couple a spin-density wave. The obtained results demonstrate that antisymmetric exchange is the dominant anisotropic interaction in Fe3+ based distorted perovskites with a nearly quenched orbital degree of freedom.

Exchange bias associated with phase separation in the Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 manganite

The exchange bias (EB) phenomenon has been found in Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 perovskite. The phenomenon manifests itself as a negative horizontal shift of magnetization hysteresis loops. The EB phenomenon is evident of an interface exchange coupling between coexisting antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) phases and confirms the phase separated state of the compound at low temperatures. The EB effect is found to be strongly dependent on the cooling magnetic field and the temperature, which is associated with the evolution of spontaneous AFM–FM phase separated state of the compound. Analysis of magnetic hysteresis loops has shown that ferromagnetic moment MFM originating from the FM clusters saturates in a relatively low magnetic field about H ∼ 0.4 T. The obtained saturation value MFM (1 T) ∼ 0.45 μB is in a good agreement with our previous neutron diffraction data.

Direct evidence of the low-temperature cluster-glass magnetic state of Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 perovskite

A giant exchange bias is detected in the colossal magnetoresistance of Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 perovskite at low temperatures and is evidence of intrinsic exchange coupling in this compound. These phenomena confirm our previous assumption that the low-temperature magnetic structure of this compound consists of small (nanosized) ferromagnetic clusters embedded in a charge-ordered antiferromagnetic matrix. The magnetic behavior of the perovskite Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 is consistent with a cluster-glass magnetic state and inconsistent with the classical spin-glass state observed in a variety of disordered magnetic systems. We think that the cluster-glass magnetic behavior of Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 originates in a self-organized phase-separated state of the compound. A Cole-Cole analysis of the dynamic susceptibility at low temperatures reveals an extremely broad distribution of relaxation times, indicating that spins are frozen on a “macroscopic” time scale. Slow relaxation of the zero-field-cooled magnetization is also observed exp...

Magnetic phenomena in Co-containing layered double hydroxides

Magnetic behavior of CoII(n)AlIII layered double hydroxides (LDHs) (n = Co/Al = 2 and 3) intercalated with nitrate was studied as a function of temperature. Both LDH compounds are paramagnetic above about 8 K. A rapid increase of their magnetic moments occurs below this temperature until the moments reach the maximum values at Tmax of 4.0 K and 3.2 K for Co(2)Al–NO3 and Co(3)Al–NO3, respectively. Below Tmax, the zero-field-cooled and the field-cooled static magnetization curves are strongly different. Along with this low-temperature phenomena, Co(2)Al–NO3 and Co(3)Al–NO3 demonstrate anomalous behavior of their temperature dependence magnetic susceptibility in a higher-temperature range: between 75 and 175 K, both the paramagnetic Curie temperature and the effective magnetic moment change in a non-monotonous way. Possible structural reasons of the observed magnetic behavior of the CoII(n)AlIII LDHs are discussed.

Exchange bias phenomenon in (Nd1−xYx)2/3Ca1/3MnO3 (x = 0, 0.1) perovskites

Exchange bias phenomenon, evident of antiferromagnetic–ferromagnetic phase segregation state, has been observed in (Nd1−xYx)2/3Ca1/3MnO3 (x = 0, 0.1) compounds at low temperatures. A contribution to the total magnetization of the compounds due to the ferromagnetic phase has been evaluated. It has been found that yttrium doping leads to the growth of the ferromagnetic phase fraction. The ferromagnetic phase in the doped compound has a lower coercivity Hc and more rectangular form of the hysteresis loop. The values of the exchange bias field HEB and coercivity are found to be strongly dependent on the cooling magnetic field Hcool. In sufficiently high magnetic fields, Hcool > 5 kOe, HEB in the doped compound is about twice as low as in the parent compound. This difference is attributed to a lower exchange interaction and higher saturation magnetization of the ferromagnetic phase in (Nd0.9Y0.1)2/3Ca1/3MnO3.

Nanophase Separation and Magnetic Spin Glass in Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3

A study of the low temperature magnetic state of polycrystalline colossal magnetoresistance perovskite Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 has been carried out. The data obtained, such as strongly divergent ZFC and FC static magnetizations and frequency dependent ac susceptibility, are evident of the glassy magnetic state of the system. Well defined maxima Tmax in the in-phase linear ac susceptibility χ curves were observed, indicating a spin-glass transition. Clear frequency dependence of the cusp temperature Tmax was found. The frequency dependence of Tmax was successfully analyzed by the dynamical scaling theory of a three-dimensional spin glass. Slow relaxation process and variety of relaxation times found imply a cluster glass magnetic state of the compound at low temperatures rather than a canonical spin glass state. The cluster glass state, accompanied by the multiple magnetic transitions of Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3, might exist due to the competing interaction between the FM clusters and the AFM matrix induced by the complex nanophase segregated state of the compound.

Phase Transformations in Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3: Effect of Y Substitution

It was found that below the room temperature both parent Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3 and doped (Nd0.9Y0.1)2/3Ca1/3MnO3 compounds exhibit a sequence of phase transformations: charge ordering, structural transformation of O-O type within the orthorhombic structure, and three magnetic transitions. Three different types of long-range magnetic order co-exist in (Nd0.9Y0.1)2/3Ca1/3MnO3 at low temperatures (as it was earlier found in Nd2/3Ca1/3MnO3): the antiferromagnetic orderings of PCE and DE types existing below ~110 K and ~60 K, respectively, and the ferromagnetic one of B type existing below ~42 K. Charge ordering occurs at 290 K in the doped compound. Diluting of Nd subsystem by Y in the parent perovskite has opposite effects on the temperatures of magnetic and charge orderings: the temperatures of all magnetic transformations are reduced in the doped compound by 20-30 K, while the charge ordering one increases by 80 K. A relationship between evolution of the phase transformation temperatures and crystal and electronic structures of the compound are analyzed.