Cationic doping effect on the structural, magnetic and spectroscopic properties of delafossite oxides CuCr1−x(Sc,Mg)xO2

• Published in: Materials chemistry and physics Vol. 128; no. 1-2; pp. 298 - 302
• Main Authors: Amami, M, Smari, S, Tayeb, K, Strobel, P, Ben, Salah A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 01.01.2011
• Subjects: Anisotropy; Cationic; Cations; Chemical Sciences; Chromium; Condensed Matter; Cristallography; Doping; Magnesium; Materials Science; Oxides; Physics; Scandium; raman spectroscopy; magnetism; transparent conducting oxides; delafossite
• ISSN: 0254-0584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2011.03.021

The effect of Sc and (Sc + Mg) substitution on the structural and physical properties of delafossite-type CuCrO2 oxide was investigated. XRD and Raman spectroscopy showed that the structure was maintained for 10% Sc and (10% Sc + 4% Mg) substitutions for chromium. The incorporation of these elements generated anisotropic microstrains in the structure. The strain also increased with oxygen intercalation, probably due to non-uniform distribution of intercaled oxygen. The thermal stability in oxygen decreased with increasing M3+ cation size. The evolution of relative intensities of Raman bands pointed towards an increase in lattice distortion with substitution, in agreement with ionic radii considerations. Comparing the substitution effect of Mg2+ to that of the non-magnetic Sc3+, magnetisation around the AF transition did not seem to correlate with the random nature and lattice parameter but with the itinerancy of the doped hole.