The nanoscale phase separation in hole-doped manganites

TL;DR

This paper reveals that intrinsic nanoscale phase separation, rather than extrinsic macroscopic separation, underpins colossal magnetoresistance in hole-doped manganites, highlighting a homogeneous short-range charge-orbital order and spin glass state.

Contribution

It demonstrates that nanoscale phase separation is an intrinsic property of manganites, fundamentally linked to their magnetoresistive behavior, contrasting with previous extrinsic macroscopic models.

Findings

Nanoscale phase separation is intrinsic, not due to defects.

Homogeneous short-range charge-orbital order observed.

Nanoscale phase separation alone explains colossal magnetoresistance.

Abstract

A macroscopic phase separation, in which ferromagnetic clusters are observed in an insulating matrix, is sometimes observed, and believed to be essential to the colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) properties of manganese oxides. The application of a magnetic field may indeed trigger large magnetoresistance effects due to the percolation between clusters allowing the movement of the charge carriers. However, this macroscopic phase separation is mainly related to extrinsic defects or impurities, which hinder the long-ranged charge-orbital order of the system. We show in the present article that rather than the macroscopic phase separation, an homogeneous short-ranged charge-orbital order accompanied by a spin glass state occurs, as an intrinsic result of the uniformity of the random potential perturbation induced by the solid solution of the cations on the $A$-sites of the structure of these materials. Hence the phase separation does occur, but in a more subtle and interesting nanoscopic form, here referred as ``homogeneous''. Remarkably, this ``nanoscale phase separation'' alone is able to bring forth the colossal magnetoresistance in the perovskite manganites, and is potentially relevant to a wide variety of other magnetic and/or electrical properties of manganites, as well as many other transition metal oxides, in bulk or thin film form as we exemplify throughout the article.