On the incorporation of iron into hexagonal barium titanate: II. Magnetic moment, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optical transmission.

Systematic measurements of the magnetic moment in dependence on temperature and magnetic field of hexagonal 6H-BaTiO3 + 0.04 BaO + x/2 Fe2O3 (0.005 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.05) ceramics were performed to study the influence of Fe ions on the magnetic properties. While the samples show Curie-Weiss paramagnetism for Fe concentrations ⩽1.0 mol%, antiferromagnetic interactions become manifest for 2.0 and 5.0 mol% iron. With increasing Fe content the antiferromagnetic interaction, which is assumed to be caused by a superexchange mechanism [Formula: see text], becomes stronger. At external magnetic fields smaller than 1 T a further, ferromagnetic interaction between Fe3+ ions is detected below 200 K. The interactions between Fe3+ ions in the samples with 2.0 and 5.0 mol% iron are also manifest in the EPR spectra by numerous lines with low intensity. Q-band EPR investigations of 5.0 mol% Fe doped single crystals confirm the existence of only one type of Fe3+-VO associates in the samples.

On the incorporation of iron into hexagonal barium titanate: I. electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) investigations of BaTiO3 + 0.04 BaO + x/2 Fe2O3 (0.007 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.05) ceramics and BaTi0.98Fe0.02O3 single crystals were performed to study the incorporation of Fe ions in the hexagonal 6H-BaTiO3 lattice and their defect properties. The samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction and wavelength-dispersive x-ray electron probe microanalysis. EPR spectra were recorded both in X- and Q-bands at room temperature. Angle-dependent single crystal EPR investigations and simulations of the ceramic powder EPR spectra revealed three different centers, which can be attributed to Fe3+ ions incorporated on crystallographically different Ti sites. Only one of them was already known before. Two spectra with axial symmetry belong to isolated Fe3+ ions incorporated at Ti(1) sites (exclusively corner-sharing oxygen octahedra) and Ti(2) sites (face-sharing octahedra). The difference of their spectral parameters arises from the different trigonal distortions of the two types of octahedra. The third spectrum has orthorhombic symmetry and is caused by Fe3+ centers associated with a nearest-neighbor charge-compensating oxygen vacancy. A model for the location of this associate is proposed.

Defect properties of cobalt-doped hexagonal barium titanate ceramics.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) powder spectra (9 and 34 GHz) and the magnetic susceptibility of BaTiO3 + 0.04 BaO + x/2 Co2O3 (0.001 â©½ x â©½ 0.02) ceramics were studied to investigate the incorporation of Co ions in the BaTiO3 lattice and their valence states as well as the development of the hexagonal phase (6H modification) in dependence on doping level x and sintering temperature Ts. At Ts = 1400 °C the 6H modification begins to occur at a nominal Co concentration x of about 0.001 and for x > 0.005 the samples are completely hexagonal at room temperature. Two different EPR spectra were observed in the 6H modification of BaTiO3, which were both assigned to paramagnetic Co(2+) ions located at the two crystallographically non-equivalent Ti sites in 6H-BaTiO3. The EPR g tensor values as well as the molar paramagnetic susceptibility, measured in the temperature range 5 K-300 K at a magnetic field of 9 T, were analyzed in the framework of the ligand field theory using the program CONCORD. The combination of EPR and magnetic measurements reveals that in air-sintered 6H BaTiO3, the incorporated Co occurs as a mixture of paramagnetic Co(2+) and diamagnetic Co(3+) ions, whereas in samples annealed in reducing atmosphere the majority of Co is in the divalent state. The occurrence of Co(4+) can be excluded for all investigated samples. The sample color caused by Co(2+) and Co(3+) ions is beige/light yellow and dark grey/black, respectively. The majority of the Co(2+) ions substitutes Ti in the exclusively corner-sharing oxygen octahedra possessing nearly cubic symmetry. The corresponding ligand field parameter [Formula: see text] amounts to about -28 000 cm(-1) (Wybourne notation, 10Dq ≈ 20 000 cm(-1)). In the reduced samples nearly 5% of the detected Co(2+) ions occupy the Ti site in the face-sharing oxygen octahedra, which are significantly trigonally distorted. The negative sign of the obtained ligand field parameter [Formula: see text] ≈ -7300 cm(-1) reflects a compression of this octahedron in direction of the hexagonal c-axis.

Suppression of Ru (S = 1) spin dimerization in La2RuO5 by Ti substitution.

La2RuO5 shows a magneto-structural phase transition at 161 K with spin dimerization and concomitant formation of a non-magnetic singlet ground state. To gain a deeper insight into the origin of this transition systematic substitution of Ru by Ti has been carried out. Polycrystalline samples have been synthesized by thermal decomposition of citrate precursors leading to La2Ru(1-y)Ti(y)O5 (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.45). The crystal structure was investigated by x-ray powder diffraction at room temperature and at 100 K. The valences of Ti and Ru were obtained from x-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy at the Ti-K and the Ru-LIII absorption edges, respectively. The magnetic phase transition was investigated by magnetic susceptibility measurements as a function of Ti substitution, revealing a decreasing transition temperature on increasing the level of substitution. The step-like feature in the magnetic susceptibility reflecting the Ru-Ru spin dimerization transition becomes smeared out close to y = 0.3 and completely vanishes at y = 0.45, indicating complete suppression of spin-dimer formation. Additional specific-heat measurements show a continuous decrease of the magnetic entropy peak with increasing Ti substitution mirroring the reduced number of spin dimers due to the magnetic dilution. A magnetic anomaly of the dimerization transition can hardly be detected for y ≥ 0.3. Density functional theory calculations were carried out to study changes of the electronic band structure caused by the substitution. A possibly preferred distribution of Ti and Ru and the magnetic interactions as well as the change of the density of states close to the Fermi level are investigated. Based on these experimental results a detailed (y,T) phase diagram is proposed.

Pressure-dependent structural and electronic properties of quasi-one-dimensional (TMTTF)2PF6.

We have performed detailed x-ray investigations of the quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor (TMTTF)(2)PF(6) at room temperature and hydrostatic pressures up to 27 kbar. Based on the pressure-dependent crystal structure, the electronic band structure was calculated by density functional theory (DFT). Our systematic study provides important information on the coupling among the organic molecules but also to the anions. We discuss the consequences for the electronic properties and compare them with optical investigations under pressure. The increasing plasma frequency observed perpendicular to the stacks corresponds to a widening of the bands for the b-direction. Around 20 kbar a dimensional crossover occurs from a one-dimensional Mott insulator to a two-dimensional metal.

Orbital ordering and spin-ladder formation in La2RuO5.

The semiconductor-semiconductor transition of La2RuO5 is studied by means of augmented spherical wave electronic structure calculations as based on density-functional theory and the local density approximation. This transition has lately been reported to lead to orbital ordering and a quenching of the local spin magnetic moment. Our results hint towards an orbital ordering scenario which, markedly different from the previously proposed scheme, preserves the local S=1 moment at the Ru sites in the low-temperature phase. The unusual magnetic behavior is interpreted by the formation of spin ladders, which result from the structural changes occurring at the transition and are characterized by antiferromagnetic coupling along the rungs.