Possible Defect Recovery in T’-Pr2-xCexCuO4 with x = 0.10 Nanoparticles Analyzed by Neutron Diffraction

Abstract

We report the possible existence of defect recovery and the magnetic behavior in the T’-Pr2-xCexCuO4 (T’-PCCO) with x = 0.10 nanoparticles through the partially reduction annealing process. The powders of T’-PCCO nanoparticles were synthesized by using the chemically dissolved method followed by partially reduction annealing at 700 °C for 5 h in argon atmosphere. The high-resolution neutron powder diffraction (HRPD) technique has been employed to study the nuclear structure, vacancy, and the magnetic properties of the T’-PCCO nanoparticles. It is found that there is an increase of oxygen occupancy at the in-plane oxygen, O(1), and the apical oxygen, O(3), which signifies the decrease of the number of the vacancy on their sites. Meanwhile, the out plane oxygen, O(2), seems to be unchanged in the partially reduced samples. The Fourier difference profile shows an enhancement of the neutron scattering density at all the critical sites of O(1), O(3), and the Cu site. This may lead to the idea of the defect recovery affecting the whole magnetic moments which is responsible for the absence of weak ferromagnetism in the T’-PCCO nanoparticles.