Abstract: 'Colossal magnetoresistance' in perovskite manganites such as La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO), is caused by the interplay of ferro-paramagnetic, metal-insulator and structural phase transitions. Moreover, different electronic phases can coexist on a very fine scale resulting in percolative electron transport. Here we report on (LCMO)(1-x):(MgO)(x) (0 < x less than or equal to 0.8) epitaxial nano-composite films in which the structure and magnetotransport properties of the manganite nanoclusters can be tuned by the tensile stress originating from the MgO second phase. With increasing x, the lattice of LCMO was found to expand, yielding a bulk tensile strain. The largest colossal magnetoresistance of 10(5)% was observed at the percolation threshold in the conductivity at x(c) approximate to 0.3, which is coupled to a structural phase transition from orthorhombic (0 < x less than or equal to 0.1) to rhombohedral R (3) over barc structure (0.33 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 0.8). An increase of the Curie temperature for the R (3) over barc phase was observed. These results may provide a general method for controlling the magnetotransport properties of manganite-based composite films by appropriate choice of the second phase.

Abstract: The ternary oxides Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 and Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30 were synthesized and their crystal structures and defects were studied by means of X-ray powder diffraction, electron diffraction, and high resolution electron microscopy. The crystal structure of Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 is based on the 8H (cchc)(2) close-packed stacking (a 10.0314 Angstrom, c = 18.869 Angstrom, SG P6(3)/mcm, Z = 3) and that of Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30 and on the 10H (cchcc)(2) close-packed stacking (a = 5.7981 Angstrom, c = 23.755 Angstrom, SG P6(3)/mmc, Z = 1) of BaO3 layers. The structural refinements gave the following values for the R factors for Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 (Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30) R(I) = 0.041 (0.039), R(P) = 0.108 (0.118), and R(wP) = 0.094 (0.099). The main feature of both structures is the presence of two types of face-sharing octahedra (FSO) with different occupancies by Ta atoms, Ti atoms, and vacancies, which results in the formation of a superstructure. It was shown that in the Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 structure these pairs of FSO occur in an ordered fashion and in the Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30 structure in a disordered fashion. The existence of the wide range of solid solutions was shown to be also a consequence of the presence of one of the two types of face-sharing octahedra. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc,

Abstract: Oxygen deficient perovskites Sr0.75Y0.25Co1-xMnxO3-y, x=0.5 and 0.75, were prepared by using the citrate route at 1373-1573 K for 48 h. The cubic Pm-3m perovskite structure for x=0.5 was confirmed by electron diffraction study and refined using neutron powder diffraction (NPD) data. For x=0.75, the superstructure corresponding to a=root 2 x a(per), b=2 x a(per), c=root 2 x a(per) (a(0)b(-)b(-) tilt system, space group Imma) was revealed by electron diffraction. The solid solution Sr0.75-xCaxY0.25Co0.25Mn0.75O3-y, 0.1 <= x <= 0.6 and compound Ca0.75Y0.25Mn0.85Co0.15O2.92 were prepared in air at 1573 K for 48 h. The crystal structure of Ca0.75Y0.25Mn0.85Co0.15O2.92 was refined using NPD data (S.G. Pnma, a=5.36595(4), b=7.5091(6), c=5.2992(4) angstrom, R-p=0.057, R-wp=0.056, chi(2)=4.26). High-temperature thermal expansion properties of the prepared compounds were studied in air using both dilatometry and high-temperature X-ray powder diffraction data (HTXRPD). They expanding non-linearly at 298-1073 K due to the loss of oxygen at high temperatures. Calculated average thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) for Sr0.75Y0.25Co1-xMnxO3-y, x=0.5, 0.75 and Ca0.75Y0.25Mn0.85Co0.15O2.92(1) are 15.5, 15.1, and 13.8 ppm K-1, respectively. Anisotropy of the thermal expansion along different unit cell axes was observed for Sr0.15Ca0.6Y0.25Co0.25Mn0.75O3-y, and Ca0.75Y0.25Mn0.85Co0.15O2.92. Conductivity of Sr0.75Y0.25Co1-xMnxO3-y, x=0.5 and 0.75 increases with the temperature reaching 110 S/cm for x=0.5 and 44 S/cm for x=0.75 at 1173 K. Samples of Sr0.75-xCaxY0.25Co0.25Mn0.75O3-y, 0.1 <= y <= 0.6 were found to be n-type conductors at room temperature with the similar temperature dependence of the conductivity and demonstrated the increase of the sigma value from similar to 1 to similar to 50 S/cm as the temperature increases from 300 to 1173 K. Their conductivity is described in terms of the small polaron charge transport with the activation energy (E-p) increasing from 340 to 430 meV with an increase of the calcium content from x=0 to x=0.6. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Glassy phases which have insulating character exist for a variety of monatomic species. By contrast, until recently, it has been possible to make bulk metallic glasses (BMG) by vitrification only for multicomponent systems. After a relatively brief summary on supercooling of a few molecular liquids, we review some of the recently reported results on molecular assemblies of the series N, P, As and amorphous Si and Ge. Based on these results, we suggest that the transition metals with their directional bonding might be suitable candidates for the production of BMG by vitrification.

Abstract: Five new layered cuprates, with a 1222-type structure, have been synthesized according to the formula (Hg(1-x)M(x))(Sr,Ba)(2) Pr2Cu2O9-delta with M = Pr, Pb, Pi, and Tl. They crystallize in a tetragonal cell with a approximate to a(p) and c approximate to 29.5 Angstrom; their structure consists in a triple intergrowth of oxygen-deficient perovskite, rock-salt-and fluorite-type layers. They are characterized by a mixed [Hg(1-x)M(x)O(1-delta)] layer in the rock-sail-type slice. The ED and HREM studies show that Tl, Bi, and Pb are statistically distributed in the mixed [Hg(1-x)M(x)O(1-delta)] layer, contrary to Pr which involves an ordering phenomenon along a. Different stacking defects are observed and discussed as well as the cleavage mode of the crystals. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.

Abstract: The n=2 Ruddlesden-Popper phases LaSr(2)CoMnO(7) and La(1 2)Sr(1 8)CoMnO(7) have been synthesized by a sol-gel method The O6-type phases LaSr(2)CoMnO(6) and La(1 2)Sr(1 8)CoMnO(6) were produced by reduction of the 07 phases under a hydrogen atmosphere The materials crystallize in the tetragonal I4/mmm space group with no evidence of long-range cation order in the neutron and electron diffraction data Oxygen vacancies in the reduced materials are located primarily at the common apex of the double perovskite layers giving rise to square pyramidal coordination around cobalt and manganese ions. The oxidation states Co(3+)/Mn(4+) and Co(2+)/Mn(3+) predominate in the as-prepared and reduced materials, respectively The materials are spin glasses at low temperature and the dominant magnetic interactions change from ferro- to antiferromagnetic following reduction (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved

Abstract: Single crystals of Ln5Ru2O12 (Ln=Pr, Nd, SmTb) were grown out of either NaOH or KOH fluxes in sealed silver tubes. The crystals of all the phases were observed to be twinned as confirmed by TEM studies. The series crystallize in the C2/m monoclinic system with lattice parameters, a=12.4049(4)12.7621(6) Å, b=5.8414(2)5.9488(3) Å, c=7.3489(2)7.6424(4) Å, β=107.425(3)107.432(2)° and Z=2. The crystal structure is isotypic with the defect/disorder model of Ln5Re2O12 (Ln = Y, Gd) and consists of one dimensional edge shared RuO6 octahedral chains separated by a two dimensional LnOx polyhedral framework. Magnetic measurements indicate paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic behavior for Ln=Nd, SmGd and Ln=Tb, respectively.