Electrical transport properties driven by magnetic competition in hole-doped perovskite Pr1-xBaxMnO3 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.36)

Abstract

In this work, polycrystalline Pr1-xBaxMnO3 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.36) ceramics were synthesized, and their magnetic and electrical transport properties were systematically studied. All samples show two metal-insulator transitions (MITs) corresponding to the high temperature TMI1 and low temperature TMI2, respectively, besides the non-Griffith phase above the ferromagnetic (FM) transition temperature TC. Combining the results of the transport and magnetic properties, it is found that the FM transition temperature TC coincides with the temperature TMI1, which is linearly related to the A-site ionic radius mismatch variance σ2, indicating the enhancement of FM interactions due to the increase of the degree of B-site ordering of Mn3+/Mn4+ ions. The positive correlation between ferromagnetic insulators (FMI) and magnetic interactions, including the FM and short-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions, is confirmed. It is suggested that the first MIT at TMI1 is attributed to the Mn3+/Mn4+ double exchange interactions and the second MIT at TMI2 is closely related to the suppression of the AFM interactions under the internal FM field induced by the Mn3+/Mn4+ DE interactions. This work provides not only a theoretical understanding on the origin of MIT at low temperature, but also a new way for adjusting the FMI in perovskite manganese oxide Pr1-xBaxMnO3 for application.