arXiv subjects

Masao Yonemura

Publications and source records attributed to Masao Yonemura.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Origin of magnetovolume effect in a cobaltite

The layered perovskite PrBaCo2O5.5+x demonstrates a strong negative thermal expansion (NTE) which holds potential for being fabricated into composites with zero thermal expansion. The NTE was found to be intimately associated with the spontaneous magnetic ordering, known as magnetovolume effect (MVE). Here we report with compelling evidences that the continuous-like MVE in PrBaCo2O5.5+x is intrinsically of discontinuous character, originating from an magnetoelectric transition from an antiferromagnetic insulating large-volume (AFILV) phase to a ferromagnetic metallic small-volume (FMSV) phase. Furthermore, the magnetoelectric effect (ME) shows high sensitivity to multiple external stimuli such as temperature, carrier doping, hydrostatic pressure, magnetic field etc. In contrast to the well-known ME such as colossal magnetoresistance and multiferroic effect which involve symmetry breaking of crystal structure, the ME in the cobaltite is purely isostructural. Our discovery provides a new pathway to realizing the ME as well as the NTE, which may find applications in new techniques.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

High oxygen pressure floating zone growth and crystal structure of the layered nickelates R$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ (R=La, Pr)

Single crystals of the metallic Ruddlesden-Popper trilayer nickelates R$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ (R=La, Pr) were successfully grown using an optical-image floating zone furnace under oxygen pressure (pO$_2$) of 20 bar for La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ and 140 bar for Pr$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$. A combination of synchrotron and laboratory x-ray single crystal diffraction, high-resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction and measurements of physical properties revealed that R$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ (R=La, Pr) crystallizes in the monoclinic $P$2$_1$/$a$ (Z=2) space group at room temperature, and that a metastable orthorhombic phase ($Bmab$) can be trapped by post-growth rapid cooling. Both La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ and Pr$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ crystals undergo a metal-to-metal transition (MMT) below room temperature. In the case of Pr$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$, the MMT is found at ~157.6 K. For La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$, the MMT depends on the lattice symmetry: 147.5 K for $Bmab$ vs. 138.6 K for $P$2$_1$/$a$. Lattice anomalies were found at the MMT that, when considered together with the pronounced dependence of the transition temperature on subtle structural differences between $Bmab$ and $P$2$_1$/$a$ phases, demonstrates a not insignificant coupling between electronic and lattice degrees of freedom in these trilayer nickelates.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Hole-doping-induced melting of spin-state ordering in PrBaCo2O5.5+x

The layered perovskite cobaltite RBaCo$_2$O$_{5.5}$ (R: rare-earth elements or Yttrium) exhibits an abrupt temperature-induced metal$-$insulator transition (MIT) and has been attributed to spin-state ordering (SSO) of Co$^{3+}$ ions. Here we investigated the hole doping member of PrBaCo$_2$O$_{5.5+x}$ ($0 \le x \le 0.24$) with multiple techniques. The analysis on crystal and magnetic structures by electron and neutron diffraction confirm the SSO in the insulating phase of undoped PrBaCo$_2$O$_{5.5}$, which is melted by increasing the temperature across the MIT. In addition, we discovered that hole doping to PrBaCo$_2$O$_{5.5}$ also melts the SSO in conjunction with an insulator-metal transition. The experimental results from electron/neutron diffraction and soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) all lead to the conclusion that hole-doping induced MIT occurs is in the same manner as the temperature-induced MIT. Therefore, we propose a unified mechanism that dominates the temperature- and hole-doping-induced MITs in the PrBaCo$_2$O$_{5.5+x}$ system. Specifically, this mechanism involves symmetry breaking coupled with a SSO in the paramagnetic phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗