Preparation of the noncentrosymmetric ferrimagnetic phase La0.9Ba0.1Mn0.96O2.43 by topochemical reduction

Abstract Topochemical reduction of La0.9Ba0.1MnO3 with NaH at 225 °C yields the brownmillerite phase La0.9Ba0.1MnO2.5. However, reduction with CaH2 at 435 °C results in the formation of La0.9Ba0.1Mn0.96O2.43 via the deintercalation of both oxide anions and manganese cations from the parent perovskite phase. Electron and neutron diffraction data reveal La0.9Ba0.1Mn0.96O2.43 adopts a complex noncentrosymmetric structure, described in space group I23, confirmed by SHG measurements. Low-temperature neutron diffraction data reveal La0.9Ba0.1Mn0.96O2.43 adopts an ordered magnetic structure in which all the nearest neighbor interactions are antiferromagnetic. However, the presence of ordered manganese cation-vacancies results in a net ferrimagnetic structure with net saturated moment of 0.157(2) μB per manganese center.