The effect of replacing Y by Gd and Ba by Sr in YBaCuFeO5 is studied by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and DC susceptibility measurements. Site disorder is inferred from FTIR and Mössbauer spectra using a Maximum-Entropy-Method. A doping dependence of the IR peaks and the hyperfine parameters is explained in terms of bonding energies and electric field gradient variations in the crystal lattice caused by Fe/Cu site disorder. We find an influence of doping on the structural and magnetic properties through a correlation of hyperfine parameters such as the electric quadrupole splitting and the magnetic hyperfine field. We also find that a paramagnetic volume fraction appears for GdBaCuFeO5 that increases upon Sr doping at the Ba site. The different behavior of the susceptibility upon replacing Y by Gd is attributed to the lack of a favorable environment to enable a Gd-Fe or Gd-Cu exchange interaction.
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