Instability of magnetism and conductivity in CMR manganites: role of Mn-site doping and thermal cycling Original Research Article

The magnetic and transport properties of the manganites with the perovskite structure are mainly characterized by a competition between ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, and between a metallic like and an insulating behavior. Charge and orbital ordering, and phase separation play a prominent role in the appearance of such properties, since they can be modified in a spectacular manner by external factors, making the different physical properties metastable. There we describe two effects that deeply modify those properties, the doping of Mn sites and the thermal cycling under a magnetic field. The doping of Mn sites by various magnetic cations—Cr, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Ir—destroys charge/orbital-ordering and induces ferromagnetism and metallicity in the antiferromagnetic matrix of the manganites. The magnetic phase diagram of the systems Ln1−xCaxMnO3 is considerably modified by such doping. The metastability of the magnetic states is explained in terms of models based on the electronic structure of the doping elements in connection with a possible valence fluctuation. The thermal cycling is also a spectacular effect, observed in chromium doped manganites. For instance, an increase of resistivity by several orders of magnitude can be observed by thermal cycling under a magnetic field, whereas no effect is obtained in the corresponding undoped material. This behavior is interpreted in terms of strains induced charge localization, at the interface between ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic domains in the antiferromagnetic matrix.