Effect of high temperature post-annealing of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on SiO2/Si substrates heated at low temperature

La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ thin films were deposited on SiO₂/Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering under different oxygen gas flow rates with a sputtering power of 100 W. During deposition, the substrate was heated at 623 K. To investigate post-annealing effects, the as-deposited La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ thin films were thermal-treated at 973 K for 1 h. The effects of oxygen gas flow rate and post-annealing treatment on the physical properties of the films were systematically studied. X-ray diffraction results show that the growth orientation and crystallinity of the films were greatly affected by the oxygen gas flow rate and substrate heating during deposition. The sheet resistance of the films gradually decreased with increasing oxygen gas flow rate, while the post-annealed films showed the opposite behavior. The temperature coefficient of resistance at 300 K of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ thin films deposited at an oxygen gas flow rate of 40 sccm decreased from − 2.40%/K to − 1.73%/K after post annealing. The crystalline state of the La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ thin films also affected its electrical properties.     

Magnetocaloric Effect in La0.7Cd0.3MnO3, La0.7Ba0.3MnO3, and Nd0.7Sr0.3MnO3

We have based on isothermal magnetization curves to study the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in fine-grained perovskite manganites of La_0.7Cd_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO), La_0.7Ba_0.3MnO₃ (LBMO), and Nd_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (NSMO) prepared by conventional solid-state reaction. Magnetic measurements were performed on a vibrating sample magnetometer, with a temperature increment of 1.0?K, and the applied field in the range of 0?C1.8?T. Under an applied field of 1.8?T, the maximum magnetic-entropy change obtained for LCMO, LBMO, and NSMO taking place at their Curie temperature are about 2.3, 2.1, and 5.1?J/(kg?K), respectively. The large entropy change in NSMO makes it suitable for magnetic-cooling applications.     

Field Effects in Thin Films of Manganites Using a Planar Field Effect Configuration

Modulation of the metal-insulator phase transition of perovskite manganite oxides is achieved by a static electric field. The field is applied using a planar field-effect configuration, which was formed on a monolayer film. In such a field-effect configuration, La_1−x A _x MnO₃ film is used as the channel and substrate acts as the gate. Both divalence-doped (La_0.7Ba_0.3MnO₃, Pr_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃), and tetravalence-doped (La_0.7Ce_0.3MnO₃) systems demonstrate significant field effects. The field modulations are found being nonlinear and polarity dependent on the applied bias. The results obtained in La_0.7Ce_0.3MnO₃ indicates that electron doped manganites have similar features as those found in hole doped manganites. The observed field effects were discussed with the percolative phase separation picture.     

Microstructure and Transport Properties in Tin Boned La<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Composites

A novel boned perovskite manganese oxide magnetoresistant material was prepared using La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) as the precursor powders and metal tin (Sn) as the binder. The microstructure and phase characteristics, low-field transport properties were studied. Sn segregated at the grain boundaries of LSMO grains. The insulator–metal (I–M) transition and enhanced LFMR are only observed with a low content of Sn, due to grain boundary disorder and spin polarized tunneling between grain boundaries. The Sn addition induced resistivity decreasing dramatically. In the high temperature PM region, the resistivities for samples with low Sn content follow the adiabatic small-polaron-hopping model.     

Emulsion processing of SOFC materials Ca0.3La0.7CrO3, Sr0.16La0.84CrO3, and Sr0.2La0.8MnO3

A novel preparation route to the perovskite materials Ca_0.3La_0.7CrO₃, Sr_0.16La_0.84CrO₃, and Sr_0.2La_0.8MnO₃ is described. The method produces the phase pure perovskite phases after calcination at 700°C for 2 hours. The powders produced are unagglomerated, and consist of hollow spherical particles 0.15 m in diameter. EDX has shown that the careful control of reaction conditions is vital to control the phase composition, and that small changes in stoichiometry result in the production of unsinterable powder.     

Synthesis of Ultrafine-Particle La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 via Chelate Homogenization and Microwave Processing

Ultrafine La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ powders were prepared via homogenization in chelate solutions, followed by microwave dehydration, using polynuclear heterometallic diethylenetriaminepentaacetates as precursors. To assess the effect of the dehydration procedure on the phase composition and grain size of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ ceramics, three routes were tested: concentration of chelate solutions by evaporation until the formation of a glassy precursor, microwave dehydration of chelate solutions, and a combination of gelation and microwave dehydration. Phase-pure La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ with a crystallite size of 30–40 nm (as determined by transmission electron microscopy) could be obtained via microwave dehydration of heterobimetallic precursor solutions, followed by calcination at a temperature as low as 800°C.     

Griffiths Phase and Disorder in Perovskite Manganite Oxides La1?xCaxMnO3 and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3

Polycrystalline samples La_1−x Ca _x MnO₃ (x=0.17, 0.15, 0.10) and La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ were prepared in order to investigate the Griffiths-like features induced by disorder compared with their counterpart single crystals. The magnetization data exhibit the traditional transition from ferromagnetic phase to paramagnetic phase. From the temperature dependence of inverse susceptibility, it can be testified that the Griffiths-like features still exist in as-prepared Ca doped samples, while non-Griffiths-like features exist in La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃. All these samples, however, exhibit the large effective spins resulting from formation of the short-order ferromagnetic clusters. The O K-edge X-ray absorption spectra indicate the Jahn–Teller (J-T) distortions are definitely present due to the J-T ion Mn³⁺, which indicate that static J-T distortion is not a sufficient condition for the existence of Griffiths phase in Sr-doped system. And, the size of J-T distortion is a little larger in polycrystalline La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ than that in polycrystalline samples La_1−x Ca _x MnO₃ (x=0.17, 0.15, 0.10), revealed by X-ray diffraction parameters and extended X-ray fine structure absorption data of Mn K-edge. It also testifies that the disorder in La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ caused by both chemical doping and J-T distortions is lower than that in polycrystalline samples La_1−x Ca _x MnO₃, which may be the reason of non-Griffiths-like phase existing in La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ samples.     

Low-field magnetoresistance in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/BaTiO3 composites

A manganite composite series of (1 ? x)La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃/xBaTiO₃ (x = 0, 0.06, 0.12, and 0.18) has been fabricated by solid-state reaction combined with a high-energy mechanical milling method. Experimental results revealed that the insulator–metal transition temperature was shifted towards lower temperatures, and resistivity increases with increasing BaTiO₃ content in (1 ? x)La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃/xBaTiO₃. Meanwhile, the ferromagnetic–paramagnetic transition temperature was almost unchanged. The increase in magnetoresistance was observed in the all composites at whole measurement temperatures under an applied magnetic field of 3 kOe. Here, temperature dependences of magnetoresistance display a Curie–Weiss law-like behavior. The nature of this phenomenon is explained in detail.     

Microwave assisted low temperature rapid synthesis of manganite system using La0.67Ce0.03Sr0.3MnO3 mini-cavity furnace

Amorphous La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) and La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO) precursor powders synthesized by the citrate gel method at 673 K, have been found to crystallize by microwave irradiation in just 60 s using La_0.67Ce_0.03Sr_0.3MnO₃ (Ce-LSMO) as couplant. This is the lowest temperature treatment and synthesis time so far reported in literature for the formation of manganite systems. Using ceramic route, the same amorphous samples crystallize on heat treatment only at temperatures greater than 1000 K. The microwave heating through this method is novel and has tremendous potential for accelerating the evolution of the product phase in very shorter durations, with just low temperature processing of the precursors, which cannot be realized in normal process.     

Low-Temperature Synthesis of Ultrafine La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 Powder via Chelate Homogenization

Ultrafine La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ powders were prepared via homogenization in chelate solutions, followed by the calcination of solid precursors at 700°C in air or oxygen, and their phase composition and average particle size were determined. The solid precursors were obtained from a solution of polynuclear La, Sr, and Mn chelates (diethylenetriaminepentaacetates) by three procedures: (1) gelation of the solution, followed by air drying of the resultant gel; (2) gelation followed by microwave dehydration; and (3) microwave dehydration of the solution. The results demonstrate that the way in which the chelate solution is converted into solid foams has little effect on the phase composition and particle size of the powders. At the same time, the phase composition and particle size of the reaction products depend on the calcination atmosphere (air or oxygen). Calcination in oxygen (700°C, 10 h) ensures the preparation of phase-pure La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ powders, with an average particle size of 30 nm, from the three precursors.     

Synthesis of Different-Sized La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 Nanoparticles via a Polyacrylamide Gel Route and Their Magnetocaloric Properties

In this work, a polyacrylamide gel route was used to synthesize La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ nanoparticles. It is shown that single-phase La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ nanoparticles with a rhombohedral perovskite structure can be prepared at a calcination temperature of 600 °C when separately using citric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid, and EDTA as the chelating agent. The particles prepared using the five chelating agents are nearly spherical in shape with a narrow diameter distribution, and have an average size of 24, 28, 36, 38, and 50 nm, respectively. Magnetic properties of the 24 and 50 nm samples (termed as samples S1 and S5, respectively) were investigated. It is revealed that the samples have a similar ferromagnetic Curie temperature T _C , and exhibit a typical second-order magnetic phase transition near T _C . The maximum magnetic entropy change at an applied magnetic field of 15 kOe is obtained to be about 0.71 and 0.74 J?kg^?1?K^?1 for the 24 and 50 nm samples, respectively.     

Photoconductivity in BiFeO3/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 heterostructure

In this letter, an oxide heterostructure has been fabricated by successively growing La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) and BiFeO₃ (BFO) layers on LaAlO₃ (100) by pulsed laser deposition. Analysis of the leakage current at different temperature demonstrated that the Poole-Frenkel dominated the leakage current mechanism. Additionally, the BiFeO₃/La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ heterostructure exhibits a positive colossal magnetoresistance (MR) effect over a temperature range of 50-320 K. The maximum MR values are determined to be about 45.32% at H = 0.5 T and 28.34% at H = 0.3 T. At last, we report photoconductivity in BiFeO₃/La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ film under illumination from 160 mW/cm² and 200 mW/cm² green-light source, and photoconductivities increase with the intensity of light enhanced.     

Comparative study on multifunctional behaviour of rare earth manganites with micro and nano grain size

We have investigated electrical and magnetotransport properties of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ samples with grain size in micro to nanometric regime. The structural parameters obtained by Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data revealed perovskite structure with orthorhombic (Pnma) and rhombohedral (R3C) symmetry for nano and bulk samples respectively. The average particle size was 22 nm and 2 μm for the two representative samples. A metal–insulator transition and substantial increase in electrical resistivity was observed in nanomaterials. An enhanced magnetoresistance observed in nanomaterials samples, makes them more promising for advanced device applications. The magnetization study showed signature of ferromagnetic cluster behavior and higher temperature coefficient of magnetization in nanoparticle samples.     

Controllable Self‐Assembled Microstructures of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3:NiO Nanocomposite Thin Films and Their Tunable Functional Properties

Two‐phase self‐assembled nanocomposite films have attracted increasing interest in recent years because of their potential applications in novel technological devices. However, tuning the physical properties by modulating the microstructure of self‐assembled nanocomposite films is still a challenge. In this study, epitaxial La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃:NiO nanocomposite films are synthesized by pulsed laser deposition. In the composite films with a NiO ratio of 50%, microstructures with nanomultilayer, nanogranular, and nanocolumnar characteristics are successfully obtained by using different growth modes. The metal–insulator transition and magnetic transition can be separately modulated by tuning the microstructures. By precisely modulating the microstructure, a significantly enhanced low‐field magnetoresistance (>80% at a magnetic field of 1 T) with an unusual plateau in the temperature interval from 10 to 110 K is realized in these films, which is expected to be applicable in field‐sensor devices that can be operated in a wide temperature range.     

Topotactic Phase Transition Driving Memristive Behavior

Redox‐based memristive devices are one of the most attractive candidates for future nonvolatile memory applications and neuromorphic circuits, and their performance is determined by redox processes and the corresponding oxygen‐ion dynamics. In this regard, brownmillerite SrFeO_2.5 has been recently introduced as a novel material platform due to its exceptional oxygen‐ion transport properties for resistive‐switching memory devices. However, the underlying redox processes that give rise to resistive switching remain poorly understood. By using X‐ray absorption spectromicroscopy, it is demonstrated that the reversible redox‐based topotactic phase transition between the insulating brownmillerite phase, SrFeO_2.5, and the conductive perovskite phase, SrFeO₃, gives rise to the resistive‐switching properties of SrFeO_x memristive devices. Furthermore, it is found that the electric‐field‐induced phase transition spreads over a large area in (001) oriented SrFeO_2.5 devices, where oxygen vacancy channels are ordered along the in‐plane direction of the device. In contrast, (111)‐grown SrFeO_2.5 devices with out‐of‐plane oriented oxygen vacancy channels, reaching from the bottom to the top electrode, show a localized phase transition. These findings provide detailed insight into the resistive‐switching mechanism in SrFeO_x‐based memristive devices within the framework of metal–insulator topotactic phase transitions.     

Hall-effect studies of Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3

Hall-effect measurements of the perovskite manganate Pr_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ have been obtained at a magnetic field of 0.6 T in the temperature range 77–400 K. The results show peculiarities in the Hall-coefficient behavior. This is likely to be due to the coexistence of charge ordering and ferromagnetism. Obviously, the transformation between different magnetic phases with increasing temperature is significant for the physical properties, and influences the current transport in the compound.     

Effect of Ho-doping on structural,electrical and magnetic properties of La<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics prepared by Plasma-Activated Sintering

Different components of La_0.7?x Ho _x Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LHSMO, x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) ceramics were fabricated by Plasma-Activated Sintering (PAS), so as to study the correlation between the contents of Ho³⁺ and the structural, electrical, magnetic properties. XRD and SEM confirmed that LHSMO ceramics prepared by PAS exhibited high-purity phase and dense microstructure. The measurement of electrical resistivity showed that the resistivity of LHSMO ceramics increased, and the metal–insulator transition temperature decreased with the increasing Ho-doping content. The resistivity data were then fitted using various empirical equations, and the conduction mechanism of LHSMO ceramics was found to be in accord with the electron–magnon scattering process in the low-temperature region and the small polaron hopping model in the high-temperature region. Lastly, we calculated the values of magnetoresistance of the LHSMO ceramics, which increased with increasing Ho-doping content, from 3.5% for x = 0 to 14.6% for x = 0.3. Therefore, the doping of Ho³⁺ into La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ can effectively enhance the low-field magnetoresistance effect.     

Self‐Assembled Ruddlesden–Popper/Perovskite Hybrid with Lattice‐Oxygen Activation as a Superior Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalyst

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is pivotal in multiple gas‐involved energy conversion technologies, such as water splitting, rechargeable metal–air batteries, and CO₂/N₂ electrolysis. Emerging anion‐redox chemistry provides exciting opportunities for boosting catalytic activity, and thus mastering lattice‐oxygen activation of metal oxides and identifying the origins are crucial for the development of advanced catalysts. Here, a strategy to activate surface lattice‐oxygen sites for OER catalysis via constructing a Ruddlesden–Popper/perovskite hybrid, which is prepared by a facile one‐pot self‐assembly method, is developed. As a proof‐of‐concept, the unique hybrid catalyst (RP/P‐LSCF) consists of a dominated Ruddlesden–Popper phase LaSr₃Co_1.5Fe_1.5O_10‐δ (RP‐LSCF) and second perovskite phase La_0.25Sr_0.75Co_0.5Fe_0.5O_3‐δ (P‐LSCF), displaying exceptional OER activity. The RP/P‐LSCF achieves 10 mA cm^?2 at a low overpotential of only 324 mV in 0.1 m KOH, surpassing the benchmark RuO₂ and various state‐of‐the‐art metal oxides ever reported for OER, while showing significantly higher activity and stability than single RP‐LSCF oxide. The high catalytic performance for RP/P‐LSCF is attributed to the strong metal–oxygen covalency and high oxygen‐ion diffusion rate resulting from the phase mixture, which likely triggers the surface lattice‐oxygen activation to participate in OER. The success of Ruddlesden–Popper/perovskite hybrid construction creates a new direction to design advanced catalysts for various energy applications.     

Characteristics of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 Powders Prepared by the Solution Combustion and Solid State Reaction Methods for Colossal Magnetoresistance Applications

La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ powders were prepared by both the solution combustion method and the solid state reaction method and were calcinated at various calcination temperatures and time intervals in air atmosphere. In the solid state reaction method, single-phase La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ was obtained after heat treatment of the powder at 1000°C for 24 hr. In the solution combustion method, however, single-phase La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ powder could be obtained easily when the powder was heat-treated at 650°C for only 30 min. Polycrystalline La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ powder, using the solution combustion method, showed good powder characteristics, such as an average grain size of 50 nm and a specific surface area of 92 m²/g. The resistance as a function of temperature and the magnetoresistance ratio in La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ thin films were attempted to examine the colossal magnetoresistance characteristics. These thin films also showed excellent colossal magnetoresistance properties in that 96% of the maximum magnetoresistance ratio was obtained at 97K.     

Observation of Higher Suppression of Superconducting Transition Temperature in YBa2Cu3O7??? /La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 as?Compared?to?YBa2Cu3O7??? /La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 Bilayers

We report the experimental investigations of the suppression of superconductivity due to the pair breaking effect induced by ferromagnetic layer in YBa₂Cu₃O_7??? /La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃ and YBa₂Cu₃O_7??? /La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ bi-layers fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. The current dependent electrical transport studies in the bilayers exhibit a significant reduction in the superconducting transition temperature in accord to I ^2/3 law as compared to single YBa₂Cu₃O_7??? layer, and moreover the superconducting transition temperature in YBa₂Cu₃O_7??? /La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ bilayer is surprisingly found to be much larger than the YBa₂Cu₃O_7??? /La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃. It appears that the current driven from a low spin polarization (?11%) material like La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃ can also suppress the superconductivity to a larger extent. This indicates that the degree of spin polarization of the ferromagnetic electrode is not the only criteria to determine the suppression of superconductivity by pair breaking effect in superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures; rather the transparency of the interface for the spin polarization, the formation of vortex state due to the stray field of ferromagnetic layer and the ferromagnetic domain patterns might play significant roles to determine such effect.