Utilización de la Técnica de Difracción de Neutrones para el Estudio de Óxidos Magnéticos Complejos

AURELIO, G.; CURIALE, J.; SÁNCHEZ, R. D.; LARRALDE, A.; CAMPO, J.; CUELLO, G. J.; KENZELMANN, M.

Mérida

Conferencia; II Reunión de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Cristalografía; 2016

Cobalt-oxide based materials have always been a focus of interest, and increasingly complex oxides are constantly emerging with attractive properties and potential applications. Because of their versatility and tunable features, which come hand in hand with their crystallographic and magnetic complexity, a profound understanding of their novel properties poses a challenge to solid-state scientists. In this work we present an overview of how we have used neutron powder diffraction (NPD) together with complementary techniques to study some cobalt-rich oxides such as the layered perovskite compounds YBaCo2O5+δ (0 < δ < 1) and the frustrated systems YBaCo4O7 and CaBaCo4O7 , the latter being a promising magnetoelectric compound. We tackle variables such as oxygen non-stoichiometry and cation substitutions to control the mixed valence state of Co ions and study the role of disorder. We study the influence of these variables on their physical properties, with special emphasis on crystallography and magnetic order, for which the NPD techniques have been intensively used.