Crystal and Magnetic Structures and Properties of (Lu1- xMn x)MnO3 Solid Solutions.

Abstract

(Lu1- xMn x)MnO3 solid solutions, having the perovskite-type structure and Pnma space group, with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4 were synthesized by a high-pressure, high-temperature method at 6 GPa and about 1670 K from Lu2O3 and Mn2O3. Their crystal and magnetic structures were studied by neutron powder diffraction. The degree of octahedral MnO6 tilting decreases in (Lu1- xMn x)MnO3 with increasing x. Only the incommensurate (IC) spin structure with a propagation vector of k = ( k0, 0, 0) and k0 ≈ 0.44 remains in (Lu0.9Mn0.1)MnO3 in the whole temperature range below the Neel temperature TN = 36 K, and the commensurate noncollinear E-type structure that has been reported in the literature for undoped o-LuMnO3 is not observed. (Lu1- xMn x)MnO3 samples with 0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.4 have a ferrimagnetic structure with a propagation vector of k = (0, 0, 0) and ferromagnetic (FM) ordering of Mn3+ and Mn4+ cations at the B site, which are antiferromagnetically coupled to a noncollinear predominantly FM arrangement of Mn2+ at the A site. The ferrimagnetic Curie temperature, TC, increases monotonically from 67 K for x = 0.2 to 118 K for x = 0.4. Magnetic and dielectric properties of (Lu1- xMn x)MnO3 and a composition-temperature phase diagram are also reported.