Effect of mixed alkali-element substitution on structural and magnetic properties of praseodymium manganites Pr0.9(Na1−xKx)0.1MnO3

Abstract The effect of cationic size mismatch at the A site at constant manganese valence on the structural and magnetic properties of a perovskite-type rare-earth manganate was investigated in the Pr 0.9 (Na 1− x K x ) 0.1 MnO 3 solid solution system (0 ≤  x Pbnm . Structural refinements using the Rietveld method show that the cell volume increases and the static Jahn–Teller distortion decreases with increasing potassium content x . Magnetic properties are characterized by strong positive θ p values, and are ascribed to a canted ferromagnetic arrangement. The high Curie constant values in the paramagnetic regime can be explained by a magnetic cluster model of 2–3 Mn ions.