Abstract
The unconventional transport and magnetic properties of perovskitelike lanthanum cobalt oxide have been studied for more than five decades. This highly correlated electron system exhibits a variety of peculiar properties that are desirable for environmentally friendly energy solutions, fuel cell technologies, novel diesel engines, and oxyfuel power plants. However, the true spin state of the ion is an important but still unresolved issue that underlies these applications. Although many theoretical models have been proposed, finding supporting experimental evidence of spin-state transitions is extremely difficult. Not until recently have new advanced scattering methods emerged allowing unprecedented precision in determining the crystal structure of . In this work, we combine high-resolution extended x-ray absorption fine structure, x-ray powder diffraction, and neutron powder and single-crystal diffraction over a broad range of temperatures, from 2 up to 1000 K, as well as quantum mechanical modeling to study the spin-state transition in and in a reference sample of . Our results suggest that the Co ions are mainly in a low-spin state at temperatures below 150 K, with a minority of ions in a high-spin state. With an increase in the temperature the gradual transition from low- to intermediate-spin state occurs up until 550 K. At the metal-insulator transition at 550 K, the long-range domains of the intermediate-spin states become a dominant contribution. Above 550 K, a transition from intermediate- to high-spin state is observed. It is established that a slight change in the degree of hybridization can lead to the appearance of a spin-state transition which might be induced by both temperature and surface effects in powder crystallites.
1 More- Received 16 April 2018
- Revised 19 June 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.100.054306
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