Low temperature thermodynamic properties of Gd2SrCo2O7

Thermodynamic properties of a layered perovskite oxide Gd2SrCo2O7 have been studied. Powder X-ray diffraction, electric resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity measurements were carried out. The crystal structure was determined as I4/mmm. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility was fitted to the Curie-Weiss behavior with antiferromagnetic interaction. Spin state of Co3+ ion was derived to be intermediate spin state configuration (t2g5eg1). The spin ordering was observed as a broad anomaly in the heat capacity curve with a peak at 2 K. The measured entropy was 35.47 J K-1mol-1, which was 65% of expected value. Thus the spin ordering should not be completed at the lowest temperature 0.2 K covered in the present experiments and/or some short range ordering remains at higher temperatures.