Structure, magnetic, and dielectric characteristics of Ln2NiMnO6 (Ln = Nd and Sm) ceramics

In the present work, the structure, magnetic, and dielectric characteristics of Nd2NiMnO6 and Sm2NiMnO6 have been investigated with comparison to those for La2NiMnO6. The magnetic and dielectric properties of the present ceramics vary with decreasing lanthanide ionic radius (R-Ln). Both Nd2NiMnO6 and Sm2NiMnO6 are ferromagnetism with the monoclinic symmetry (space group P2(1)/n). The Curie temperature T-C of Nd2NiMnO6 and Sm2NiMnO6 is 194 K and 156 K, respectively, and it decreases with decreasing < Ni-O-Mn > bond angle which depends on R-Ln. Meanwhile, the dielectric constant epsilon' monotonically decreases with decreasing R-Ln. The similar variation tendency of magnetic and dielectric characteristics with R-Ln indicates that the structural origins for the magnetic and dielectric response should be closely linked with each other. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4752262]