Effect of Multiplicity Fluctuation in Cobalt Ions on Crystal Structure, Magnetic and Electrical Properties of NdCoO3 and SmCoO3

The structural, magnetic, electrical, and dilatation properties of the rare-earth NdCoO3 and SmCoO3 cobaltites were investigated. Their comparative analysis was carried out and the effect of multiplicity fluctuations on physical properties of the studied cobaltites was considered. Correlations between the spin state change of cobalt ions and the temperature dependence anomalies of the lattice parameters, magnetic susceptibility, volume thermal expansion coefficient, and electrical resistance have been revealed. A comparison of the results with well-studied GdCoO3 allows one to single out both the general tendencies inherent in all rare-earth cobaltites taking into account the lanthanide contraction and peculiar properties of the samples containing Nd and Sm.

Relationship between the Spontaneous Magnetization, Spontaneous Magnetostriction and Heat Capacity in the Compound Mn5Ge3

Spontaneous magnetization Ms of the ferromagnetic compound Mn5Ge3 with the Curie temperature TC=305 K has been studied in the temperature range from 2 to 400 K. The relationships between the magnetic part of the heat capacity (CMAG), the magnetic part of the volume thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) MAG, and the Ms for the compound Mn5Ge3 have been considered. It has been found that the magnetic part of the heat capacity can be well approximated by the dependence CMAG(T)=a×|dMs2/dT|–b×|dMs4/dT| with a>0 and b>0, and the magnetic part of the TEC, by the dependence  MAG=C1×dMs2/dT+C2×dMs4/dT with C1<0 and C2>0 in the whole temperature. It is assumed that the main sources in the formation of the observed CMAG(T) and MAG(T) dependences are the changes in the elastic, magnetoelastic, magnetovolume, and magnetostatic energies of the sample that appear as a result of the spontaneous magnetostrictive deformation with temperature changing.

On the thermo-elastic behaviour of kyanite: a neutron powder diffraction study up to 1200°C

The high-temperature (HT) behaviour of kyanite (Al2SiO5) was investigated by in situ neutron powder diffraction up to 1200°C. Within the investigated T range, no phase transition was observed. The axial and volume thermal expansion coefficient (αj = lj-1(𝜕1j/𝜕T), αv = V-1 (𝜕V/𝜕T)), calculated by weighted linear regression through the data points, are: αa = 5.5(2) x 10-5, αb= 5.9(2) x 10-5, αc = 5.18(8) xl0-5, αv = 7.4(1) x 10-3 “C-1, with αa:αb:αc = 1.06:1.14:1. All three angles of the kyanite lattice show a slight decrease with T, with 𝜕α/𝜕T = -2(2) x 10-5, 𝜕β/𝜕T = -4(1) x 10-5, 𝜕γ/𝜕T = –10(2) x 10-5%C. The magnitudes of the principal Lagrangian unit-strain coefficients (ε1,ε2, ε3) and the orientations of the thermal strain-ellipsoids, between the ambient temperature and each measured T, were calculated. The magnitude and the orientation of all the three unit-strain coefficients are almost maintained constant with T. At T-To = 1177°C , ε^a = 76(2)°, ε^b = 70(2)°, ε^c = 38(3)°, ε2^a = 49(3)°, ε2^b = 66(3)°, ε2^c = 127(4)°, ε3^a = 135(3)°, ε3^b = 31(3)°, ε3^c = 91(2)° with ε1:ε2:ε3 = 1.57:1.29:1. The structural refinements, performed at 23, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 900, 950, 1050 and 1200°C allowed the description of the structural evolution and the main T-induced deformation mechanisms, which are mainly represented by the polyhedral distortions of the AlO6 octahedra.