The manganites of the type RMnO3 (R=La, Nd, Pr, Sm) are antiferromagnetic and the end (n= µ) members of the so-called Ruddlesden-Popper series, Rn+1MnnO3n+1. These oxide materials illustrate many interesting properties like colossal magnetoresistance (CMR)1-13, charge ordering (CO)14-21, magnetic field induced structural and ferromagnetic transitions22-24 when R is partially substituted by divalent cation A (=Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb) as R1-xAxMnO3. According our results of resistivity (r) and specific heat (C) on the Pr1-xCaxMnO3 series, we confirmed the Pr0.65Ca0.35MnO3 is the good choice to investigate the interplay of double exchange (DE) interaction and charge(CO)/orbital(OO) ordering. A systematic study of r, magnetization (M) and C on polycrystalline Pr0.65Ca0.35-xSrxMnO3 (x=0-0.35) perovskite manganites has been reported. The T-x phase diagram presenting their electrical and magnetic properties is prevailed. The Pr0.65Ca0.25Sr0.1MnO3 (for x=0.1) sample is particularly unique showing a CO transition at TCO ~ 200K, an antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering transition at TN ~ 175K, a metal-insulator (MI) transition at TMI ~ 80K and a ferromagnetic (FM) ordering transition at TC ~ 45K in the absence of magnetic fields. However, the C data of it do not show any anomaly at TMI for MI transition but illustrates a much smaller anomaly than expected one at TC and is suppressed by magnetic fields. This may indicate that the FM ordering in it, commonly related to MI transition, is of meta-stable characteristic and is ascribed to electronic and magnetic instability induced by spin fluctuations. This is established from the T-H phase diagram, as well as the thermal and magnetic hysteresis in r, M and C.

No description available.

Neutron and x-ray diffraction has been used to study charge, orbital and magnetic ordering in some transition metal oxides. The long standing controversy regarding the nature of the ground state (Verwey structure) of the canonical charge ordered material magnetite (Fe3O4) has been resolved by x-ray single crystal diffraction studies on an almost single domain sample at 90 K. The Verwey structure is confirmed to have Cc symmetry with 56 unique sites in the asymmetric unit. Charge ordering is shown to be a useful first approximation to describe the nature of the ground state, and the conjecture that Verwey made in 1939 has finally been confirmed. However, three-site distortions which couple to the orbital ordering of the Fe2+ ordered states (trimerons) are shown to provide a more complete description of the low temperature structure. Trimerons explain the rather continuous distribution of the valence states observed in magnetite below Tv, anomalous shortening of Fe-Fe distances and the off-centre distortions resulting in ferroelectricity. DFT+U electronic structure calculations on the experimental coordinates support the conclusion of this crystallographic study, with the highest electron densities calculated for those Fe-Fe distances predicated to participate in the trimeron bonds. The 6H-perovskites of the type Ba3ARu2O9 have been reinvestigated by high resolution neutron and x-ray power diffraction. The charge ordered state of Ba3NaRu2O9 has been characterised at 110 K (P2/c, a =5.84001(2) Å, b = 10.22197(4) Å, c = 14.48497(6) Å, β = 90.2627(3) °) and shown to consist of a structure with near integer charge ordering of Ru5+ 2O9 / Ru6+ 2O9 dimers. The ground state has been shown to be very sensitive to external perturbations, with a novel melting of charge ordering observed under x-ray irradiation below 40 K (C2/c, a =5.84470(2) Å, b = 10.17706(3) Å, c = 14.45866(5) Å, β = 90.2151(3)-° at 10 K). High pressure studies reveal that the Ru-Ru intra-dimer distance may dictate the response of the system to pressure. Empirical trends in the Ba3ARu2O9 series of compounds have shown that change in ‘chemical pressure’ in these systems may be rationalised in terms of Coulomb’s law. In A = La and Y the magnetic ordering is shown to be FM within the Ru2O9 dimers (1.4(2) μB and 0.5(1) μB, respectively per Ru), representing the first case of intra dimer FM coupling reported in a system containing face-sharing RuO6 octahedra . The overall AFM coupling of the dimers implies an as yet unobserved breaking of the parent symmetry. In A = Nd, a complex competition between the crystal field effect of Nd3+ and the magnetic ordering of the Ru2O9 FM moments has been observed, leading first vi to FM order of Nd at 25 K (1.56(7) μB) followed by ordering of Ru moments (0.5(1) μB) and a spin reorientation transition of Nd moments at 18 K. In A = Ca, the formation of a singlet ground state is observed in Ru2O9 rather than the expected AFM coupling and below 100 K Ba3CaRu2O9 is diamagnetic. All five systems indicate that the Ru2O9 dimer is the physically significant unit in these systems when considering structural trends and the ordering of charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom.

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der Charakterisierung der Ladungssymmetrie in der CuO2 Ebene in den hochtemperatur-supraleitenden Kupraten (HTSCs - high-temperature superconducting cuprates). Hierfür wurden Experimente mit kernmagnetischer Resonance (NMR - nuclear magnetic resonance) an Einkristallen von YBa2Cu3O7 und YBa2Cu3O6.9 sowie an Pulverproben von YBa2Cu4O8 durchgeführt. Der Fokus der Arbeit lag auf der Untersuchung des elektrischen Feldgradientens (EFG) der CuO2 Ebene unter hohem Druck und unterschiedlichen Temperaturen. Neben dem Cu Kern wurde für die Hochdruck-NMR-Untersuchung zum ersten Mal auch der O Kern der CuO2 Ebene verwendet und für beide Kerne die Druckabhängigkeit des vollständigen EFG Tensors bestimmt. Zusätzlich wurde die Magnetfeldabhängigkeit des EFG untersucht. Ein Schwerpunkt der Arbeit lag in der Vorbereitung der NMR Druckzelle für Einkristallmessungen sowie deren Ausrichtung im Magnetfeld. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die örtliche Variation des Cu EFG Tensors in allen untersuchten HTSCs stark mit Druck zunimmt und ähnlich groß ist, wie die Variation des EFG durch chemisch induzierte Unordnung. Durch die Analyse der Cu und O NMR Spektren in YBa2Cu3O6.9 konnte gezeigt werden, dass der EFG der CuO2 Ebene nicht direkt durch die orthorhombische Kristallstruktur beeinflusst wird - so wie lange angenommen wurde - sondern durch eine geordnete Ladungsvariation am O erklärt werden muss. Druck und tiefe Temperaturen erhöhen die Ladungsordnung. Es konnte eine eindeutige, lokale Ladungssymmetrie und Amplitude bei 18 kbar und 100 K bestimmt werden, die quantitativ mit den Cu und O Spektren übereinstimmt. Die NMR Daten sind mit einer langreichweitigen Ladungsdichtewelle konsistent. Zusätzlich wurde herausgefunden, dass das Magnetfeld sowohl die Variation als auch die Orientierung des planaren Cu EFG beeinflusst. Mit der Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass Ladungsordnung in Y-basierten HTSCs nahe der Dotierung mit der höchsten kritischen Temperatur (Tc) existiert und sie durch Druck, Variation der Temperatur sowie Magnetfelder beeinflusst werden kann.

<p>Understanding lithium-ion insertion/extraction mechanisms in battery electrode materials is of crucial importance in developing new materials with better cycling performance. In this thesis, these mechanisms are probed for two different potential cathode materials by a combination of electrochemical and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The materials investigated are V₆O₁₃and cubic LiMn₂O₄spinel.</p><p>Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of lithiated phases in the Li_xV₆O₁₃ system (x=2/3 and 1) exhibit superlattice phenomena and an underlying Li⁺ ion insertion mechanism which involves the stepwise addition of Li⁺ions into a two-dimensional array of chemically equivalent sites. Each successive stage in the insertion process is accompanied by a rearrangement of the Li⁺ ions together with an electron redistribution associated with the reduction of specific V-atoms in the structure. This results in the formation of electrochemically active sheets in the structure. A similar mechanism occurs in the LiMn₂O₄ delithiation process, whereby lithium is extracted in a layered arrangement, with the Mn atoms forming charge-ordered Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ layers.</p><p>Lithium-ion insertion/extraction processes in transition-metal oxides would thus seem to occur through an ordered two-dimensional arrangement of lithium ions extending throughout the structure. The lithium ions and the host structure rearrange cooperatively to form superlattices through lithium and transition-metal ion charge-ordering. A picture begins to emerge of a universal two-dimensional lithium-ion insertion/extraction mechanism analogous to the familiar staging sequence in graphite.</p>

Understanding lithium-ion insertion/extraction mechanisms in battery electrode materials is of crucial importance in developing new materials with better cycling performance. In this thesis, these mechanisms are probed for two different potential cathode materials by a combination of electrochemical and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The materials investigated are V6O13 and cubic LiMn2O4 spinel. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of lithiated phases in the LixV6O13 system (x=2/3 and 1) exhibit superlattice phenomena and an underlying Li+ ion insertion mechanism which involves the stepwise addition of Li+ ions into a two-dimensional array of chemically equivalent sites. Each successive stage in the insertion process is accompanied by a rearrangement of the Li+ ions together with an electron redistribution associated with the reduction of specific V-atoms in the structure. This results in the formation of electrochemically active sheets in the structure. A similar mechanism occurs in the LiMn2O4 delithiation process, whereby lithium is extracted in a layered arrangement, with the Mn atoms forming charge-ordered Mn3+/Mn4+ layers. Lithium-ion insertion/extraction processes in transition-metal oxides would thus seem to occur through an ordered two-dimensional arrangement of lithium ions extending throughout the structure. The lithium ions and the host structure rearrange cooperatively to form superlattices through lithium and transition-metal ion charge-ordering. A picture begins to emerge of a universal two-dimensional lithium-ion insertion/extraction mechanism analogous to the familiar staging sequence in graphite.

Les composés en couches avec des ions métaux de transition ont leur bande de conduction dans les orbitales d. On se concentrera dans cette thèse sur les systèmes où le champs cristallin sépare les orbitales en deux sets dégénérés, t2g et eg, où les électrons de conduction sont sur les orbitales eg. C'est le cas pour les dichalcogénures en couches à métaux de transitions et 2H-AgNiO2 qui sont connus pour présenter des ordres de charge, un arrangement périodique des électrons sur le réseau. Les dichalcogénures en couches à métaux de transitions ont divers motifs, des ordres des charge commensurables et incommensurables, parmi eux, des ordres de charge à grande maille unité,comme le motif √13x√13 en étoile de David. 2H-AgNiO2 a un ordre de charge triple mais reste métallique.Dans le but de comprendre leurs ordres de charge, nous avons établi un modèle de Hubbard étendu multibandes et nous avons recentré notre intérêt sur les orbitales eg avec fortes interactions coulombiennes locales. À l'aide d'une approche en liaison forte et de considérations électrostatiques, puis grâce à la méthode de Hartree-Fock non restreinte, nous avons construit le diagramme de phases en fonction de la force des interactions coulombiennes, aussi bien locale qu'à courte portée, et nous avons fait évoluer la structure de bande en utilisant le ratio libre t'/t qui décrit la structure de bande dans les matériaux ayant des orbitales eg. Nous avons révélé un diagramme de phase riche avec plus de dix phases où certaines transitions peuvent être contrôlées par la structure de bande. En particulier, nous avons trouvé des phases pinball liquid, un ordre de charge métallique à trois sites par maille unité, où des charges localisées (pins) sont entourées de charges itinérantes (balls) sur un réseau hexagonal. Des ordres de charges à grande maille unité sont aussi stabilisés, tels que des ordres de charge et d'orbitale incommensurables et un ordre de charge √12x√12, qui rappelle le motif √13x√13 en étoile de David présent dans 1T-TaS2. Ces états électroniques s'avèrent génériques pour le réseau triangulaire demi rempli et sont aussi trouvés dans le cas isotrope, qui correspond au modèle de Hubbard étendu à une bande.Cependant, la méthode de Hartree-Fock non restreinte est problématique pou saisir les propriétés des phases lors d'une forte anisotropie de la structure de bande pour les états de Mott. Pour résoudre ce problème, nous avons établi un hamiltonien type Heisenberg à partir d'une théorie de perturbation. Ensuite, nous avons établit le diagramme de phases de ce nouvel hamiltonien en utilisant une approche classique et la diagonalisation exacte avec une analyse de symétries et l'algorithme de Lanczos pour un système de 24 sites. Mis à part les phases connues du modèle de Heisenberg en présence d'un champ magnétique, les configuration Y et V, le plateau 1/3, la phase ferro-orbitale, l'anisotropie de la structure de bande des orbitales eg conduit à d'autres ordres avec une composante τy ou τx et τz finies, différents ordres en bande et des ondes de densité d'orbitales. / Layered compounds are materials which exhibit charge order and novel phase of matter. This is the case in layered transition metal compounds, which have their band conduction on d-orbitals, a key ingredient to understand their electronic properties. We will focus in this dissertation on systems where the crystal-field splits orbitals into two degenerate subsets, t2g and eg, and where conduction electrons are on eg-orbitals. It is the case for layered transition-metal dichalcogenides and 2H-AgNiO2, which are known to exhibit charge orders, a periodic arrangement of electrons on the lattice. Layered transition-metal dichalcogenides have various pattern, incommensurate or commensurate insulating charge orders, among them large-unit cells charge orders. 2H-AgNiO2 have a charge order but is yet metallic.In order to investigate their charge orders, we derive a generic multiorbital extended Hubbard model and we refine our interest to eg-orbital with strong local Coulomb interactions. With a tight binding approach and electrostatic considerations, then the unrestricted Hartree-Fock method, we build the phase diagrams as a function of the strength of the Coulomb interactions, local and short-range, and we tun the band structure using the ratio $t'/t$ of the $e_g$-orbitals. We unravel a rich phase diagram with more than ten phases where some transitions can be controlled by the band structure. In particular, we found pinball liquid phases, metallic threefold charge orders where localized charges (pins) are surrounded by itinerant charges (balls) on a honeycomb lattice. Phases with large unit-cells are also stabilized, such as incommensurate charge and orbital orders and a √12x√12 charge order. These electronic states are generic for the half-filled triangular lattice and are also found in the isotropic limit, which corresponds to the single-band spinful extended Hubbard model.To capture the properties of phases with strong band structure anisotropy in the Mott state, that unrestricted Hartree-Fock fails to capture, we derived a Heisenberg-like Hamiltonian from perturbation theory. Then, we build the phase diagram of this new effective Hamiltonian using a classical approach and exact diagonalization with a symmetry analysis and Lanczos algorithm for a 24-site cluster. Apart from the known phases of the Heisenberg model in presence of a field, the Y and V configuration, the 1/3 plateau, the ferro-orbital phase, the anisotropy of the band structure of eg-orbitals leads to other ordering with finite τy or τx and τz components, different stripe orders and orbital density waves. We build a rich phase diagram from this new Hamiltonian.

We study the unusual phases seen in charge transfer salts (CTS) at 1/2 and 1/4 filling. We use the Holstein-Hubbard model (HHM) and the Peierls extended Hubbard model (PEH) to study competing phases in CTS. In the 1/2illed HHM the Holstein coupling promotes a Peierls charge-density wave phase while the on-site Coulomb repulsion U gives rise to antiferromagnetic correlations and a Mott insulating state. Takada et al. have shown possibility of a third metallic phase between the Mott and the Peierls phase. We investigate the presence of an intermediate phase between the Mott and Peierls phase using Stochastic Series Expansion (SSE) method. We used charge and spin susceptibilities to determine the phase boundaries. As the coupling is increased a spin gap opens followed by the Peierls transition. The intermediate phase is metallic and has a spin gap but no charge gap. Transitions from the Mott to intermediate and intermediate to Peierls state are Kosterlitz-Thouless type (KT). As the coulomb repulsion is increaed beyond certain value the two KT transitions fuse to give a single first order transition. Similar behavior is seen at 1/4illed HHM. We also studied the temperature dependence of charge ordering (CO) in 1/4illed CTS. Most previous theoretical studies of the on CTS have concentrated on ground state or T=0 properties. Here we show the evolution of charge ordered (CO) state with temperature and directly related the experimental phase diagram with our theoretical results. Our calculations show that as temperature is lowered the Wigner crystal state gives way to spin-Peierls state with a different pattern of CO. Also we show that the critical value of nearest neighbor Coulomb repulsion is depends on the total spin and is different for different spin subspace.

Submitted by EVERLIN CAROLINA FERREIRA DA SILVA null (everlinferreira@hotmail.com) on 2016-04-19T16:13:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertaçãoFinal.pdf: 3642722 bytes, checksum: f19af99a16e56b2846a689e39c66c05b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-04-20T19:11:13Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ecf_me_rcla.pdf: 3642722 bytes, checksum: f19af99a16e56b2846a689e39c66c05b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-20T19:11:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ecf_me_rcla.pdf: 3642722 bytes, checksum: f19af99a16e56b2846a689e39c66c05b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A técnica de espectroscopia de impedância foi aplicada para caracterizar um monocristal da ludwigita homometálica Fe3O2BO3, em que uma transição de ordenamento de carga (CO) ocorre em temperatura ambiente (~ 300 K) conforme reportada na literatura. Utilizando diferentes valores de amplitude do sinal AC aplicado, pudemos pelo estudo do comportamento da condutividade AC identificar nessas medidas o fenômeno de soltura de ondas de densidade de carga (CDW) e usamos a teoria de Bardeen, na faixa de temperatura em que foi possível aplica-la, para obter a razão entre a massa do condensado MF e a massa m do elétron, da ordem de 109 - 107. As características deste material foram comparadas a uma amostra de um sistema sem ordenamento de carga reportada, uma pastilha prensada de α-MnO2 dopado com cobre. Para ambos os materiais informação sobre o comportamento da constante dielétrica também foi obtido. / The impedance spectroscopy technique was applied to the characterization of a single crystal of the homometallic ludwigite Fe3O2BO3, in which a charge ordering transition (CO) occurs around room temperature (~ 300K), as reported in the literature. By using different values of the AC amplitude signal we could study the AC conductivity behavior and identify the depinning of the charge-density wave phenomenon (CDW). Applying the Bardeen theory, in a proper temperature range, to obtain the rate of the mass of the condensate MF in relation to that of the electron m, we found a ratio the order of 109 - 107 . The characteristics of this material were compared with a system without reported charge ordering transition, Cu doped α-MnO2 pressed pellets. For both materials, information about the behavior of the dielectric constant was also obtained.

Studies on perovskite rare earth manganites of general formula R1-xAxMnO3 (where R is a trivalent rare earth ion such as La3+, Pr3+ etc. and A is a divalent alkaline earth ion such as Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, have been a very active research area in the last few years in condensed matter physics. Manganites have a distorted perovskite crystal structure with R and A ions situated at the cube corners, oxygen ions at the edge centers of the cube and Mn ions at the centres of the oxygen octahedra. In these manganites the Mn ions are found to be in mixed valence state i.e., in Mn3+ and Mn4+ states. In the octahedral crystal field of oxygen ions the single ion energy levels are split into t2g and eg levels. Mn3+ being a Jahn-Teller ion, the eg level is further split due to the Jahn-Teller effect. A strong Hund’s coupling between the spins in the t2g and eg levels renders the Mn3+ ions to be in the high spin state. The interplay of competing super exchange between Mn ions which determines the antiferromagnetism, orbital ordering and insulating behavior and double exchange between Mn ions which leads to ferromagnetism and metallicity gives rise to very complex phase diagrams of manganites as a function of composition, temperature and magnetic field. The strength of these interactions is determined by various factors such as the A-site cation radius and the Jahn-Teller distortion due to the presence of Mn3+ ions. The strongly coupled charge, spin, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom in manganites gives rise to complex phenomena such as colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), charge order (CO) and orbital order (OO) and phase separation (PS) etc. The properties of these materials are sensitive functions of external stimuli such as the doping, temperature and pressure [1-5] and have been extensively studied both experimentally and theoretically in single crystal, bulk polycrystalline and thin film forms of the samples [6-9]. Charge ordering is one of the fascinating properties exhibited by manganites. Charge ordering has historically been viewed as a precursor to the complex ordering of the Mn 3d orbitals, which in turn determine the magnetic interactions and these magnetic interactions are the driving force for charge localization and orbital order. This ordering of Mn3+ / Mn4+ charges can be destabilized by many methods. An external magnetic field can destabilize the charge ordered phase and drive the phase transition to the ferromagnetic metallic state [10-11]. Other than magnetic field, charge ordering can also be ‘melted’ by a variety of perturbations like electric field [12, 13], hydrostatic and chemical pressure [14-16], irradiation by X-rays [17], substitution at the Mn -site [18 -21] and A-site [22]. Of these, A-site substitution with bigger cations like barium is particularly of great interest since it does not interrupt the conduction path in the “MnO3” frame work Recently attention has been drawn towards the properties of nanoscale manganites. The nanoscale materials are expected to behave quite differently from extended solids due to quantum confinement effects and high surface/volume ratio. Nanoscale CMR manganites have been fabricated using diverse methods in the form of particles, wires, tubes and various other forms by different groups. It has been shown that the properties of CMR manganites can be tuned by reducing the particle size down to nanometer range and by changing the morphology [23-27]. As mentioned above, charge order is an interesting phase of manganites and these CO mangnites in the form of nanowires and nanoparticles show drastic changes in their properties compared to bulk. In contrast to the studies on the CMR compounds, there are very few reports on charge ordering nano manganites except on nanowires of Pr0.5Ca0..5MnO3 [28] and nanoparticles of Nd0.5Ca0.5MnO3 [29] and Pr0.5Sr0..5MnO3 [30]. This thesis is an effort in understanding certain aspects of charge order destabilization by two different methods, namely, doping bigger size cation (barium) in A-site (external perturbation) and by reducing the particle size to nano scale ( intrinsic). For this purpose we have selected the charge ordering system Pr1-xCaxMnO3 (PCMO) with composition x = 0.43. The reason behind choosing this composition is the observation [31] that CO is particularly weak for this value of x. We have prepared bulk, nanoparticles and nanowires of Pr0.57Ca0.41Ba0.02MnO3 manganite and have carried out microstructure, magnetic, magneto transport and EMR measurements to understand the nature of CO destabilization and also to understand other aspects such as magneto transport and magnetic anisotropy . Apart from destabilization of the charge order in PCMO we have also studied the bismuth based manganite Bi0.5Ca0.5MnO3. The reason behind choosing this system is the robust charge order of Bi0.5Ca0.5MnO3 compared to rare earth based manganites. So far no attempt has been made in comparing the electron paramagnetic resonance properties of bismuth based manganites with those of the rare earth based manganites. We have studied the magnetic, transport and electron paramagnetic resonance properties of Bi0.5Ca0.5MnO3 prepared by solid state reaction method and compared the results with those of Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 . In the following we present a chapter wise summary of the thesis. Chapter 1 of the thesis contains a brief introduction to the general features of manganites describing various interesting phenomena exhibited by them and the underlying interactions . Chapter 2 contains a detailed review of EPR studies on manganites describing the current level of understanding in the area. In this chapter we have also described the different experimental methodology adopted in this thesis. Chapter 3 reports the effect of a small amount (2%) of barium doped in the charge ordered antiferromagnetic insulating manganite Pr0.57Ca0.43MnO3. The samples were prepared by solid state synthesis and charecterized by various techniques like XRD, EDXA. The results of magnetization, magnetotransport and EPR/EMR experiments on both Pr0.57Ca0.43MnO3 and Pr0.57Ca0.41Ba0.02MnO3 are compared. The magnetization studies show that barium doping induces ferromagnetic phase in place of the CO-antiferromagnetic phase of the pristine sample at low temperatures as reported earlier by Zhu et al.,[31]. The transport studies show insulator to metal transition. The EPR parameters viz line width, intensity and ‘g’ value of Pr0.57Ca0.43MnO3 and Pr0.57Ca0.41Ba0.02MnO3 are compared. The magnetization and EPR studies reveal that the CO transition temperature TCO has shifted to a slightly lower value accompanied by a small decrease in the strength of the charge order. Thus a small amount of barium affects the CO phase of Pr0.57Ca0.43MnO3 and it also induces a ferromagnetic metallic phase at low temperature. Another most important and unexpected result of EMR experiment is the observation of high field signals, i.e. two EMR signals are observed at low temperatures in the ferromagnetic phase of Pr0.57Ca0.41Ba0.02MnO3. The appearance of the high field signals are understood in terms of the effects of magneto crystalline anisotropy. Chapter 4, reports the microstructure, magnetization and EMR studies of Pr0.57Ca0.41Ba0.02MnO3 nanoparticles prepared by sol-gel method. We have mainly focused on the effect of size on the charge ordered phase. The samples were characterized by different techniques like XRD, EDXA and TEM. The obtained particle size of the samples are 30, 60 and 100 nm respectively. We have compared the magnetic, magneto transport and EMR results of these nano samples with the bulk properties. The 30 nm particles do not show the CO phase whereas the 60 and 100 nm particles show CO signatures in DC- magnetization measurements. The EPR intensity also shows a similar trend. These results confirm that charge ordering can also be destabilized by reducing the particle size to nano scale. But the EPR linewidth which reflects the spin dynamics shows a change in the slope near the CO temperature and there by indicates the presence of premonitory charge ordering fluctuations in smaller particles. We also observed that the EMR linewidth increases with the decrease of particle size. Another striking result is the disappearance of high field signals in all the nanosamples. This is understood in terms of a decrease in the magnetic anisotropy in nanoparticles. Part of the result of this chapter is published [32]. Chapter 5, reports the morphological, magnetic and electron paramagnetic resonance studies of Pr0.57Ca0.41Ba0.02MnO3 nanowires. Recently our group has studied the nanowires of Pr0.5Ca0..5MnO3 [28]. In the nanowire sample of Pr0.5Ca0..5MnO3 only a partial suppression of CO is observed. This raises the question about the incomplete suppression of the CO in the nanowires: is this a consequence of the material being microscopic in one dimension and is it necessary to have a 3-dimensional nano material to have full suppression of the charge order ? In the present work we attempt to provide an answer to this question. PCBM nanowires of diameter 80-90 nm and length of ∼ 3.5 μm were synthesized by a low reaction temperature hydrothermal method. We have confirmed the single phase nature of the sample by XRD experiments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and trasmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the morphology and microstructures of the nanowires. The surface of nanowires was composed of particles of different grain size and interestingly some particles were hexagonal in shape. The bulk PCBM manganite exhibits charge order at 230 K along with a ferromagnetic transition at 110 K. However, SQUID measurements on PCBM nano-wires show a complete melting of the charge ordering and a ferromagnetic transition at 115 K. The magnetization observed in the nanowires was less compared to that in the bulk. EPR intensity measurements also support this result. Characteristic differences were observed in linewidth and ‘g’ factor behaviors of nanowires when compared with those of the bulk. EPR linewidth which reflects the spin dynamics shows a slope change near the CO temperature (like in nanoparticles) possibly due to charge order fluctuations in nanowires. The high field signals were absent in nanowires as well. Part of the result of this chapter is published [33]. Chapter 6 deals with the magnetic and electron paramagnetic resonance studies on Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 and Bi0.5Ca0.5MnO3. These manganites are prepared by solid state reaction method and characterized by different techniques like XRD and EDXA. Further, we have compared the results of magnetization and electron paramagnetic resonance properties of Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 with those of Bi0.5Ca0.5MnO3 manganite in the temperature range of 10- 300 K. The two charge ordered manganites show significant differences in their behavior. The temperature dependence of the EPR parameters i.e. line width, central field and intensity of Bi0.5Ca0.5MnO3 are quite different from the rare earth based manganite i.e. Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3. Linewidth of BCMO is large compared to PCMO manganite and interestingly the temperature dependence of the central fields (CF) of PCMO and BCMO show opposite behavior. The CF of PCMO decreases with decrease in temperature as found in a large number of other CO systems, whereas CF of BCMO increases with decrease in temperature. This unusual behavior of resonance field is attributed to the different magnetic structure of BCMO system at low temperatures. Chapter 7 sums up the results reported in the thesis. The insight gained from the present work in understanding the destabilization of charge order by chemical doping and size reduction is discussed as well as the differences in the properties of bismuth and rare earth manganites. Further, we have indicated possible future directions of research in this area.