Electrical and magnetic properties of Y-doped La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 manganite system: Observation of step-like magnetization

The magnetic and transport properties of bulk doped manganite, La0.5-yYySr0.5MnO3 have been studied as a function of (Y) yttrium doping, y, for 0 <= y <= 0.25. In the absence of the yttrium this is a well studied half-doped manganite which is a metallic ferromagnet. With successive doping of Y the system undergoes a transformation from rhombohedral (space group R (3) over bar - C) to orthorhombically (space group Pnma) distorted perovskite structure, due to the large distortions caused by the yttrium; this is seen directly from the softening of the Mn-O stretching mode (around 600 cm(-1)) as a function of Y3+ doping which has relatively lower ionic radius compared to La3+ and Sr2+. These distortions make this series of compounds particularly interesting. The magnetization obtained in zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) studies show dramatic changes as the value of y is raised above 0.05. This is accompanied by a transition from the metallic and into a semiconducting state as is seen from the studies of the electrical resistivity. The magnetic behavior is further investigated by a study of the hysteresis loops, frequency dependent susceptibility and studies of the magnetic relaxation. The results are understood in terms of the average size of the cation on the A site, < r(A)>, and the variance, sigma(2) (=Sigma y(i)(2)r(i)(2) - < r(A)>(2)) The value of the variance, sigma(2), increases rapidly with doping, y, induces weakening of the long range ferromagnetic ordering, exhibiting a stepwise variation of magnetization (metamagnetic like). Based on the present results a magnetic phase diagram has been drawn demonstrating different magnetic phase sequences with the variation of sigma(2). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.