Absence of a polar phase in perovskite chromite RCrO3 (R=La and Pr)

Magnetic and dielectric properties have been studied for LaCrO3, PrCrO3, and their solid solution La0.5Pr0.5CrO3, which belong to a family of the ferroelectric orthochromite series RCrO3 (R: rare earths). The magnetic measurements confirm that the materials show canted antiferromagnetic ordering at 240-288 K. Neutron diffraction patterns could be fitted with the centrosymmetric Pnma, which is different from the non-centrosymmetric structure proposed for the ferroelectric phase of NdCrO3. The large dielectric constants are likely due to the hopping of charge carriers as proposed previously for other chromites.