Abstract
The influence of nickel (Ni) ions on the structural and magnetic properties of PrCo1-xNixO3 perovskites was investigated. The samples were prepared using a sol-gel chemical auto-combustion route. The Rietveld refined X-ray diffraction patterns show that all samples were single-phase polycrystalline with orthorhombic (Pbnm) perovskite symmetry. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that with increasing Ni dopant content, the spin state changed from a low to an intermediate spin state (LS→IS), leading to an increase in the Co3+ population in the IS state, which improved the stability of the IS state. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of mixed valence states (Co3+/Co4+) and oxygen vacancies. Ni-substituted PrCoO3 compounds exhibited mixed magnetic phases, which were separated by a theoretical model. The susceptibility curves were fitted with the Curie–Weiss law, and the negative value of the Curie–Weiss temperature indicated a strong predominance of antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions over ferromagnetic (FM) ordering. However, when the Ni content in the host lattice increased, the FM coupling via double exchange became stronger. Thus, saturated FM ordering was achieved with an optimum doping level of Ni ions.
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