Hole doping effect on structure, transport and magnetic properties of Dy1-xBaxMnO3 (0 ≤x ≤1)

Structural, electrical and magnetic properties of Dy1-xBaxMnO3 compounds synthesized by the standard solid state reaction route are reported in this paper. For x = 0.0 to 0.5, the compounds have orthorhombic structure and for x = 0.8 and 1.0, the structure changed to hexagonal structure corresponding to 2H. Raman spectra of the materials compliment structural phase transition. Phonon lifetimes estimated from the Raman line width were found to be in the order of pico seconds. X-ray photoelectron spectra of Dy1-xBaxMnO3, revealed the presence of Dy, Ba, Mn and O elements with respective binding energies. Mn ions were found to be in the mixed valent states of Mn (III) and Mn (IV) and their ratio decreased with increasing Ba concentration. Temperature behavior of electrical resistivity of all the compounds showed semiconducting behavior that persisted in the entire temperature range with small polaron hopping conduction mechanism. As Ba content increased, activation energies for hopping of polarons decreased in the orthorhombic phase and increased in the hexagonal phase. Magnetic studies as a function of temperature indicated that ordering temperatures of rare earth (Dy) moments are suppressed with Ba substitution. Random occupation of magnetic Dy3+, Mn3+ and Mn4+ ions in Dy1-xBaxMnO3 system resulted in complex magnetic structures. The reduction in the experimental effective magnetic moments determined from the Curie-Weiss fit parameters followed the magnetic dilution. Isothermal magnetization curves confirmed the presence of multiple interactions between the magnetic ions.