Synthesis and characterization of mixed melilite-type oxides

The melilite-type oxides are potential targets for exploring interesting magnetic and electronic properties as well as multiferroicity and magnetoelectric effects. Polycrystalline samples of Ba2Cu1−xMnxGe2O7 have been synthesized by solid state reaction method. The morphology and chemical composition of the samples have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). By using powder X-ray diffraction, the phase composition of the synthesized compounds and the evolution of their crystallographic axes as a function of the doping have been systematically studied. The synthesis of the polycrystalline compounds reported in this work is a prerequisite for the growth of high quality single crystals of mixed melilite-type oxides essential for the investigations of the complex magnetic phase diagram of these non-centrosymmetric systems.