Synthesis, structural, magnetic and electrical properties of La1−xCdxMnO3 manganites (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5)

Cd-substituted LaMnO3 compounds have been prepared using sol–gel method at a relatively low temperature of 900 °C. The crystal structure examined by X-ray powder diffraction indicates that the samples were single phase and crystallize in a rhombohedral (R3¯c) structure with increase the Cd content. The Rietveld refinement of the structure shows that the substitution of La by Cd in the La site changes the structure parameters, such as MnO bond length and MnOMn angles. Magnetic measurements reveal that the magnetization of these compounds exhibit a ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition with an increasing in the Curie temperature TC when x increases from 0.1 to 0.5. The resistivity measurements reveal that the samples exhibit a metallic to semiconductor transition and the electrical temperature transition TP present a similar trend of TC, with increasing the Cd content.