Transformative Effect of Oxygen Plasma to Upshot the Structural and Electrical Properties of Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 Manganites

TL;DR

This study investigates how oxygen plasma treatment alters the structural and electrical properties of Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 manganites, revealing improved conductivity and structural modifications due to oxygen incorporation.

Contribution

It provides a systematic comparison of untreated and plasma-treated samples, highlighting the role of plasma exposure in enhancing electrical conductivity and structural changes in manganites.

Findings

Oxygen plasma increases sample conductivity.

Structural modifications are confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.

Transport mechanisms involve small polarons at high temperature and variable range polarons at low temperature.

Abstract

A methodical inquiry of the outcome of oxygen plasma exposure in low bandwidth compounds belonging to the perovskite family Pr1-xSrxMnO3 manganites where x = 0.5, has been presented in this communication by comparing the structural and transport properties of the untreated and plasma treated samples. It is witnessed that the high-temperature transmission is carried out by small polarons while the low-temperature transmission is attributed to variable range polarons. The changes in the transport properties may be attributed to the structural modification due to plasma exposure as revealed by the Rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction pattern. Further, oxygen plasma exposure boosts the conductivity due to the integration of oxygen ions in the plasma-exposed samples, thereby rendering them oxygen-rich.