Local disorder and structure relation induced by magnetic exchange interactions in A2(Mo1-yMny)2O7 pyrochlores

Abstract

We present an extended X-ray absorption fine structure study at the Mo K-edge of A2(Mo1yMny)2O7 (A Gd, Ho; y 0.05 and 0.10) pyrochlores, as a function of temperature and composition, coupled to diffractometric and magnetic characterizations. Extending the study reported in our previous paper on the pristine A2Mo2O7 compounds to these Mo/Mn partially substituted samples, where we hypothesize a competition between double-exchange and superexchange couplings, we aim to check which structure parameters are related to the nature of the nearest-neighbor magnetic interactions, looking for the presence and evolution of order and structure anomalies. Two Ho samples Ho2(Mo1yMny)2O7 (y 0.05 and 0.10) keep the spin-glass nature of the parent compositions with a strong distortion of the MoO(1)6 octahedron and of the MoHo and MoMo second shell. On the other hand, two Gd2(Mo1yMny)2O7 samples, ferromagnetic at low temperature in the undoped case, show the appearance on a local scale of a spin-glass transition mirrored by a quite high structure disorder and by a distortion coherent with a lattice frustration after Mn-doping. Therefore, the Gd and Ho Mn-doped samples display a similar frustrated behavior, differently from the corresponding undoped ones.