Effects of magnesium substitution on the magnetic properties of Nd0.7Sr0.3MnO3

Effects of magnesium substitution on the magnetic properties of Nd0.7Sr0.3MnO3 have been investigated by neutron powder diffraction and magnetization measurements on polycrystalline samples of composition Nd0.7Sr0.3MnO3, Nd0.6Mg0.1Sr0.3MnO3, Nd0.6Mg0.1Sr0.3Mn0.9Mg0.1O3, and Nd0.6Mg0.1Sr0.3Mn0.8Mg0.2O3. The pristine compound Nd0.7Sr0.3MnO3 is ferromagnetic with a transition temperature occurring at about 210 K. Increasing the Mg-substitution causes weakened ferromagnetic interaction and a great reduction in the magnetic moment of Mn. The Rietveld analyses of the neutron powder diffraction (NPD) data at 1.5 K for the samples with Mg concentration, y=0.0 and 0.1, show ferromagnetic Mn moments of 3.44(4) and 3.14(4) μB, respectively, which order along the [001] direction. Below 20 K the Mn moments of these samples become canted giving an antiferromagnetic component along the [010] direction of about 0.4 μB at 1.5 K. The analyses also show ferromagnetic polarization along [001] of the Nd moments below 50 K, with a magnitude of almost 1 μB at 1.5 K for both samples. In the samples with Mg substitution of 0.2 and 0.3 only short range magnetic order occurs and the magnitude of the ferromagnetic Mn moments is about 1.6 μB at 1.5 K for both samples. Furthermore, the low-temperature NPD patterns show an additional very broad and diffuse feature resulting from short range antiferromagnetic ordering of the Nd moments.