• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.76-82
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• 2004

Crystallographic and magnetic properties for Brownmillerite-type oxides $Ca_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$FeO$_{2.5}$ (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0) were investigated using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Mossbauer spectroscopy. Polycrystalline samples were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method. Information on exact crystalline structures, lattice parameters, bond lengths and bond angles were obtained by refining their XRD profiles using a Rietveld method. The crystal structures were found to be all orthorhombic with space group Icmm (x = 0, 0.3) and Icmm (x = 0.5, 0.7, 1.0) The lattice parameters increased monotonically with increasing Sr concentration. Both the tetrahedral and the octahedral sites were considerably distorted and elongated along b-axis. While bond lengths and bond angles O-Fe-O tend to increase minutely with the increase of Sr content, bond angles Fe-O-Fe decreased accordingly. The Mossbauer spectra showed two sets of sharp sextets originating from ferric ions occupying the tetrahedral and the octahedral sites under the magnetic transition temperature T$_{N}$. Regardless of the compositions x, the electric quadrupole splittings were -0.3 mm/s and 0.4 mm/s for the octahedral and the tetrahedral site, respectively. Above T$_{N}$, the Mossbauer spectra showed the paramagnetic doublets whose electric quadrupole splittings were about 1.6 mm/s, irrespective of compositions x. T$_{N}$ was found to decrease monotonically with the increase of Sr concentration. Ratios of absorption area for the two sites were almost 1:1 up to as high as 0.95 T$_{N}$ for all x. The result of the Debye temperature indicated that the inter-atomic binding force for the Fe atoms in the tetrahedral site was stronger than that for the octahedral site.hedral site.