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Synthesis, crystal structure, and properties of metallic PrNiO sub 3 : Comparison with metallic NdNiO sub 3 and semiconducting SmNiO sub 3

Journal Article · · Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (USA)
; ; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. IBM Research Div., San Jose, CA (USA)
  2. Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble (France)
The compound PrNiO{sub 3} has been prepared for the first time. Using only moderate oxygen pressure, PrNiO{sub 3}, NdNiO{sub 3}, and SmNiO{sub 3} were made and found to crystallize in the GdFeO{sub 3}-type orthorhombically distorted perovskite structure. Structural refinements for all three compounds reveal NiO{sub 6} octahedra with an average Ni-O distance of 1.94-1.95 {angstrom}, about the same as in the more distorted HoNiO{sub 3}. The electrical conductivity of PrNiO{sub 3} is metallic at room temperature, but undergoes a transition at 130 K to an insulating state. Examination of the conductivities of the corresponding Sm, Nd, and La compounds reveals a monotonic pattern of behavior: as the rare earth radius is increased, the compounds become more conducting because the metal-insulator transition temperature decreases from 400 K(Sm) to 200 K(Nd) to 130 K(Pr) to none for La. from DSC and lattice constant measurements, this transition is shown to be first order, with a {approximately}O.2% contraction upon heating into the metallic state. Low temperature neutron measurements in the insulating phase reveal new diffraction peaks, probably related to magnetic ordering of Ni and/or RE moments.
OSTI ID:
5621717
Journal Information:
Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (USA) Vol. 91:2; ISSN JSSCB; ISSN 0022-4596
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English