Abstract
<p> The structure of a series of lanthanide iron cobalt perovskite oxides, <em> R </em> (Fe <sub> 0.5 </sub> Co <sub> 0.5 </sub> )O <sub> 3 </sub> ( <em> R </em> = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd), have been investigated. The space group of these compounds was confirmed to be orthorhombic <em> Pnma </em> (No. 62), Z = 4. From Pr to Gd, the lattice parameter <em> a </em> varies from 5.466 35(13) Å to 5.507 10(13) Å, <em> b </em> from 7.7018(2) to 7.561 75(13) Å, <em> c </em> from 5.443 38(10) to 5.292 00(8) Å, and unit-cell volume <em> V </em> from 229.170(9) Å <sup> 3 </sup> to 220.376(9) Å <sup> 3 </sup> , respectively. While the trend of V follows the trend of the lanthanide contraction, the lattice parameter “ <em> a </em> ” increases as the ionic radius <em> r </em> ( <em> R </em> <sup> 3+ </sup> ) decreases. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy confirm that Fe and Co are disordered over the octahedral sites. The structure distortion of these compounds is evidenced in the tilt angles <em> θ, ϕ </em> , and <em> ω </em> , which represent rotations of an octahedron about the pseudocubic perovskite [110] <sub> p </sub> , [001] <sub> p </sub> , and [111] <sub> p </sub> axes. All three tilt angles increase across the lanthanide series (for <em> R </em> = Pr to <em> R </em> = Gd: <em> θ </em> increases from 12.3° to 15.2°, <em> ϕ </em> from 7.5° to 15.8°, and <em> ω </em> from 14.4° to 21.7°), indicating a greater octahedral distortion as <em> r </em> ( <em> R </em> <sup> 3+ </sup> ) decreases. The bond valence sum for the sixfold (Fe/Co) site and the eightfold <em> R </em> site of <em> R </em> (Fe <sub> 0.5 </sub> Co <sub> 0.5 </sub> )O <sub> 3 </sub> reveal no significant bond strain. Density Functional Theory calculations for Pr(Fe <sub> 0.5 </sub> Co <sub> 0.5 </sub> )O <sub> 3 </sub> support the disorder of Fe and Co and suggest that this compound to be a narrow band gap semiconductor. XRD patterns of the <em> R </em> (Fe <sub> 0.5 </sub> Co <sub> 0.5 </sub> )O <sub> 3 </sub> samples were submitted to the Powder Diffraction File.</p>
Original language | American English |
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Journal | Powder Diffraction |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2016 |
Keywords
- DFT calculations
- Eu
- Gd)
- Nd
- R(Fe0.5Co0.5)O3 (R = Pr
- Sm
- TEM
- crystal structure
- x-ray powder diffraction patterns
EGS Disciplines
- Materials Science and Engineering