The effect of cation disorder on magnetic properties of new double perovskites La2NixCo1-xMnO6 (x = 0.2–0.8)

Solid solutions of new double perovskite oxides La2NixCo1-xMnO6 (x = 0.2, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 0.8) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The X-ray powder diffraction data show that all the compounds crystallize in the monoclinic structure with space group P21/n at room temperature. The elementary composition of the powders was determined by the electron Probe Microanalysis. Raman and IR spectra show strong bands at (520, 650 cm−1) and (426, 600 cm−1) respectively, attributed to the stretching vibration of Ni/Co-O and Mn-O bonds in the structure. The magnetic studies for all the compounds have been performed in both DC and AC magnetic fields in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K. All samples exhibit a main paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (PM-FM) transition between 232 K and 260 K, and their Curie temperature increases rapidly with increasing x values. Three samples with x = 0.2, 0.25 and 0.5 respectively display also a secondary PM-FM transition between 200 K and 208 K. The thermal variation of out of phase component of AC susceptibility presents also frequency-dependent transitions between 65 K and 110 K unfolding the existence of super-paramagnetic mono-domains in all samples. The band gap energy has been calculated and revealing semiconductor behavior for all samples.