2024/06/10 by P. K. Sreejith, Sreejith, P. K., Weicong Li +14
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Magnetic properties of thin films #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2406.06456
openalex publication_date 2024/06/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The strong exchange interaction between 3d-4f magnetic sublattice in rare-earth perovskites introduces a variety of complex magnetic states hosting fascinating electronic ground states with exotic properties. Especially when it comes to rare-earth nickelate and cobaltite perovskites, tuning their rich magnetic phase diagram and spin-state transitions make them potential candidates for spintronic applications. Here, we report the observation of antiferromagnetic coupling between Pr 4f and Ni/Co 3d magnetic sublattices and its tunability with strain in PrCo0.5Ni0.5O3-δ (PCNO) thin films. SQUID magnetization measurements reveal ferromagnetic (FM) ordering around 25 K, followed by a spin glass transition at low temperatures subject to spin reorientation. Competing magnetic interactions arise owing to the 3d-4f antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling between Pr and Co/Ni sublattice as revealed by the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Pr M4,5 and Co/Ni L2,3 absorption edges. Strain dependence on these AFM coupling reveals an increase (decrease) in the AFM exchange interaction for tensile (compressive) strained films, leading to a net decrease (increase) in the magnetization of PCNO films at low temperatures. The relative increase in low-temperature negative magnetoresistance for compressively strained films also reflects the enhanced ferromagnetic ordering in the system. The angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements reveal a two-fold anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in tensile strained PCNO films. In contrast, temperature-dependent switching of AMR accompanied by a two- to four-fold symmetry crossover is observed for LaAlO3-grown compressive strained films.