Synthesis, structures and properties of new double perovskite oxides

Double perovskite oxides have attracted much interest since the discovery of spin-polarized conduction and large low field magnetoresistances in Sr2FeMoO6. This behaviour exists to high temperatures, making Sr2FeMoO6 and related materials candidates for application in data storage devices. This thesis describes the synthesis, structures and properties of some new double perovskite oxides. These can be divided into the (LaM)BNbO6 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba; B = Mn, Co) and LaSrFeNbO6 materials that have one magnetic transition metal (TM) cation, and the (La1+xM1-x)CoRuO6 (M = Ca, Sr; -0.25 £ x £ 0.25 x = 1) materials that have two magnetic TM cations. The (LaM)CoNbO6 double perovskites crystalize with the monoclinic P21/2 (M = Ca, Sr) and tetragonal 14/m (M = Ba) superstructures, which have rocksalt ordered arrangements of Co2+ (3d7) and Nb5+ (4d0), with almost no Co/Nb inversion (0). The M = Ba material has a collinear antiparallel magnetic structure. The saturated cobalt moment decreases from 2.97(2) mB to 2.52 (3) mB to 1.85 (5) mB for M = Ca, Sr and Ba, respectively. The frustration due to competing 900 exchange interactions. The (LaK)MnNbO6 materials also have the monoclinic P21/n (M = Ca, Sr) and tetragonal 14/m (M = Ba) superstructures, with 2+ (3d5) and Nb5+ (4d0). All materials are antiferromagnetic with Neel temperatures of 9 K (M = Ca), 8 K (M = Ba) and 6.5 K (M = Ba). The magnetic Bragg reflections are indexed by k = (0 ½ ½ ), and the possible magnetic models are identical to those for (LaM)CoNbO6. The manganese saturation moment decreases from 4.77(3) mB (M = Ca) to 4.43 (4) mB (M = Sr) to 41.9 (4) mB (M = Ba). (LaSr)FeNbO6 has the monoclinic P21/n superstructure with 14% inversion of Fe2+ (3d6) and Nb5+ (4d0). This material is antiferromagnetic (TN = 22 K), and has a ( ½ 0 ½) magnetic propagation vector (mFe = 3.45(3) mB). The lattice parameters, antisite disorder, Neel temperatures and resistivities of the (La1-xM1-x)CoRuO6 double perovskites are found to vary in a systematic manner. The Co/Ru antisite disorder is minimal for x = 0, showing that this disorder is driven by the mixed Co or Ru electronic states at x ≠ 0 rather than by La/M cation mixing. The x = 0 materials have TN = 96K (M = Ca) and TN = 85 K (M = Sr), and are variable range hopping semiconductors. Hole doping )x 0) results in a significant reduction in TN but has little effect on the resistivity. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy shows that for x 2+ states are selectively hope doped while for x > 0 only the Ru5+ states are electron doped, which is in keeping with the strongly asymmetric doping response.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo