Structure and Magnetization of Polycrystalline La0.66Ca0.33MnO3 and La0.66Ba0.33MnO3 Films Prepared Using Sol-Gel Technique

Abstract

The structure and static magnetization of polycrystalline La0.66Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO) and La0.66Ba0.33MnO3 (LBMO) films grown on glass substrate using sol-gel technique have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the average grain sizes of about 12 and 10 nm for granular LCMO and LBMO samples, respectively. The root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of about 100 nm has been obtained for both films by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique. The temperature dependences of the magnetization of LCMO and LBMO films registered in zero field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) regimes revealed a superparamagnetic state in both samples with remarkable distribution of blocking temperatures in a wide temperature interval, the average values of which have been estimated to be about 120 and 90 K for LCMO and LBMO, respectively. The average magnetic crystallite sizes obtained from the magnetizations studies coincide with the values revealed from the structural studies.