Submitted by Eunice Novais (enovais@uepg.br) on 2017-09-01T17:51:26Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Luiz Fernando K Unti.pdf: 6181881 bytes, checksum: b0280e86919fc3c265d97d1ffba8200e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-01T17:51:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Luiz Fernando K Unti.pdf: 6181881 bytes, checksum: b0280e86919fc3c265d97d1ffba8200e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Dentre os materiais mais comuns utilizados para a construção de eletrólitos e eletrodos das células a combustível de óxido sólido (CaCOS) estão os óxidos com estrutura semelhante à perovisquita; estes apresentam características desejáveis para esta aplicação, como boa condutividade elétrica. Diversos são os estudos nesta área atualmente, onde um dos enfoques é o desenvolvimento de materiais com condutividade protônica para melhorar a performance destes condutores. O presente trabalho avaliou a viabilidade do composto Ba5Nb4O15 (BNO) como possível candidato na produção de elementos de CaCOS. Este composto possui uma estrutura de perovisquita hexagonal, e estudos recentes apontam que é largamente utilizado em ressoadores dielétricos e há indícios que este tipo de estrutura pode apresentar condutividade protônica. Nesse trabalho foi avaliada a síntese da fase BNO através de um método alternativo à reação no estado sólido, baseada no método Pechini modificado, usando para isto precursores no formato de óxido. Como há diversas rotas diferentes de processamento para esta fase, comparou-se a sinterabilidade dos pós obtidos nas sínteses através da densificação, após serem conformados e sinterizados em duas temperaturas: 1400 e 1450ºC. Também se estudou a influência da adição de dopantes de menor valência (titânio e zircônio) na estrutura e nas propriedades elétricas da fase pura. Foi possível obter a fase BNO em todas as sínteses, embora após a primeira calcinação houvesse diferentes fases na amostra obtida pelo método Pechini; estas fases secundárias desapareceram após a sinterização. Atingiu-se maior densificação ao submeter os pós sintetizados à moagem, previamente à conformação, onde se atingiu porosidades aparentes menores que 5%. As dopagens promoveram o refino do grão, mas não foram eficientes no aumento da condutividade do composto. Contudo, as amostras sinterizadas em 1450ºC apresentaram maior condutividade em atmosfera úmida (H2O) do que em água pesada (D2O), o que pode ser um indício da existência de condutividade protônica nesta estrutura. / Among the common materials used to produce solid oxide fuel cell’s (SOFC’s) electrolytes and electrodes areoxides with perovskite structures; they show desirable characteristics for this application, like good levels of ionic conduction. Nowadays, there are many different studies on this field, where developing new proton conduction materials to improve SOFC’s performance is one of them. Present work evaluated the viability of compound Ba5Nb4O15 (BNO) as a candidate to produce SOFC’s elements. This compound show a hexagonal perovskite structure and recent papers point this kind of structure is currently used can show some indications of proton conduction. At present study, it was evaluated BNO synthesis through an alternate method to solid-state reaction, based on Pechini method and using different oxides as precursors. Since there are many different processing routes to obtain this phase, it was compared sinterability of synthesized powders after pressing and sintering at two temperatures: 1400 and 1450ºC. The poisoning effect of titanium and zirconium on structure and electric properties was also studied. BNO phase was successful obtained in all synthesis, although non-stoichiometry phases were present on Pechini sample after first calcination; after sintering, these phases were no longer present though. A higher densification was obtained after milling synthesized powder previously to pressing: a bulk porosity smaller than 5% was achieved. Doping produce grain refinement, but it was not efficient improving electrical conductivity. However, sintered samples at 1450ºC had shown higher conductivity on humid atmosphere (H2O) than presented on heavy water atmosphere (D2O). This could be an indication of proton conductionin this structure. Keywords: proton conduction, hexagonal perovskites, Pechini method, solid oxide fuel cells.

The development of technologies that enable efficient and reliable energy inter-conversion and storage is of key importance for tempering the intermittent availability of renewable energy sources, and thus for developing an energy economy based on sustainable, clean energy production. Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) may be used to store excess electrical energy as hydrogen, while solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) could convert back hydrogen into electricity, thus balancing energy availability and demand. However, the current state-of-the-art hydrogen electrode used in both SOECs and SOFCs, the Ni-yttria-stabilised zirconia cermet (Ni-YSZ), is unreliable in conjunction with intermittent energy sources, in particular due to its innate redox instability. This thesis explores the fundamental properties of various inherently redox stable A-site deficient titanate perovskite systems (A1-αBO3, B = Ti), seeking to uncover the principles that enhance their properties so that they may be used to replace Ni-YSZ. In particular, this work demonstrates that the versatility of perovskites with respect to the introduction of lattice defects such as vacancies and cation substitutions enables considerable improvements in the extent of reduction, electronic conductivity and overall electrochemical activity. Most importantly, the defect chemistry context set by the presence of A-site vacancies was found to trigger the exsolution of electrocatalytically active nanoparticles from the parent perovskite, upon reduction. This is an entirely new phenomenon which was explored and exploited throughout this study to produce perovskite surfaces decorated with uniformly distributed catalytically active nanoparticles. As demonstrated in this study, the exsolution phenomenon excels in terms of producing nanoparticles with uniform size, distribution, diverse composition and ‘unconventional' surface anchorage. The resulting enhanced properties, and especially the exsolution phenomenon, contributed coherently towards improving the suitability of the perovskites developed here towards their application as hydrogen electrode materials. Consequently, when integrated into SOEC button cells as hydrogen electrodes, they exhibited a step-change increase in performance compared to other perovskites considered to date. Many of the principles and perovskite defect chemistry explored and exemplified in this study on perovskite titanates may be extended to other perovskites as well. In particular the advanced control and understanding achieved in this work over the exsolution phenomenon may inspire the formulation of new and sophisticated oxide materials with advanced functionality.

Orientador: Prof. Dr. José Fernando Queiruga Rey / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Nanociências e Materiais Avançados, 2014. / O aumento da demanda energética nas ultimas décadas e a inevitável diminuição dos combustíveis não renováveis fez a sociedade iniciar uma busca por novas formas de obtenção de energia. Entre as novas tecnologias propostas tem-se as células a combustível, estes dispositivos convertem energia química em elétrica e térmica, dentre os diversos desafios tecnológicos para a inserção desta tecnologia no mercado, pode-se citar a obtenção de um eletrólito solido com boa condutividade iônica e instável em ambientes que contenham CO2 e H2O. Dentre os condutores iônicos pode-se citar as perovskitas, condutores iônicos cerâmicos utilizados como eletrólitos em células a combustível e em diversas outras aplicações tecnológicas, esta classe de material se destaca por sua alta tolerância a formação de vacâncias e sua capacidade de incorporar íons em sua estrutura. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram produzir, caracterizar e estudar condutores iônicos do tipo perovskita (BaCe(1-x)MxO3), onde M representa os substituintes iônicos do tipo Gd, Zr, Er e x=(0,03; 0,05; 0,07; 0,1) representa as concentrações do dopantes nas amostras. Os compostos foram caracterizados estruturalmente por difração de raios X, refinados pelo método Rietveld e caracterizados eletricamente pela espectroscopia de impedância. Os resultados da difração de raios X indicam que não houve grandes variações na estrutura cristalina do cerato de bário (BaCeO3), quando dopado com gadolínio nas proporções de . Observou-se uma diminuição na mobilidade iônica das amostras cerato de bário dopadas com gadolínio e zircônio em função do aumento da porcentagem dos substituintes iônicos. / The increasing energy demand and the inevitable reduction of non-renewable fuels in the last decades did society start a search for new ways of obtaining energy. Among the new technologies we proposed fuel cells, these devices convert chemical energy to electrical and thermal, among many technological integration of this technology to the market challenges, we can mention to obtain a solid electrolyte with excellent ionic conductivity and unstable in environments which containing CO2 and H2O. Among the ionic conductors may cite the perovskites, ceramic ionic conductors used as electrolytes in fuel cells and several other technological applications, this class of material stands out for its high tolerance for vacancy formation and its ability to incorporate ions in their structure. The ceramic ionic conductors are used as electrolytes in fuel cells and several other technological applications. The objectives of this study were to produce and, characterize perovskite-type materials (BaCe (1-x) MxO3), where M are the ionic substituents Gd, Zr, Er and x (x = 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1) represents the concentration of dopants in the samples. The compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction, analyzed by the method rietveld and impedance spectroscopy. The results of X-ray diffraction suggest that there were no major changes in the crystal structure of the barium cerate (BaCeO3) doped with gadolinium in proportions between 0.3 . x . 0.1. There was a decrease in ion mobility, barium cerate with increasing the percentage of ionic substituents gadolinium and zirconium in the structure of barium cerate.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:41:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BrenoJSC.pdf: 1936174 bytes, checksum: 41a69e90a702c7738f177a88206c7070 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-29 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Perovskite-like ceramic materials present the general formula ABO3, where A is a rare earth element or an alkaline metal element, and B is a transition metal. These materials are strong candidates to assume the position of cathode in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), because they present thermal stability at elevated temperatures and interesting chemical and physical properties, such as superconductivity, dieletricity, magnetic resistivity, piezoelectricity, catalytic activity and electrocatalytic and optical properties. In this work the cathodes of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with the perovskite structure of La1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.15, 0.22, 0.30) and the electrolyte composed of zirconia-stabilized-yttria were synthesized by the Pechini method. The obtained resins were thermal treatment at 300 ?C for 2h and the obtained precursors were characterized by thermal analysis by DTA and TG / DTG. The powder precursors were calcined at temperatures from 450 to 1350?C and were analyzed using XRD, FTIR, laser granulometry, XRF, surface area measurement by BET and SEM methods. The pellets were sintered from the powder to the study of bulk density and thermal expansion / Materiais cer?micos do tipo perovisquita assumem a formula geral ABO3, onde A representa elemento terra rara ou metal alcalino e B ? um metal de transi??o. Esses materiais s?o fortes candidatos para assumirem a posi??o de c?todo em C?lulas a Combust?vel de ?xido S?lido (CCOS) por apresentar estabilidade t?rmica em temperaturas elevadas e propriedades f?sicas e qu?micas interessantes, como supercondutividade, dieletricidade, magnetoresistividade, piezoeletricidade, ferroeletricidade, atividade catal?tica e eletrocatal?tica e propriedades ?ticas. No presente trabalho, os c?todos de C?lulas a Combust?vel de ?xido S?lido com a estrutura perovisquita de La1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0,15; 0,22; 0,30) e o eletr?lito composto por ?tria estabilizada com zirc?nia foram sintetizados pelo m?todo Pechini. As resinas obtidas foram submetidas a um tratamento t?rmico de 300?C por 2h e os precursores obtidos foram caracterizados por ermogravimetria e An?lise T?rmica Diferencial. Os p?s precursores foram calcinados em temperaturas de 450 a 1350?C e foram estudados por Difra??o de Raios X, Espectroscopia na Regi?o do Infravermelho, Granulometria a Laser, Fluoresc?ncia de Raios X, ?rea Espec?fica por BET e Microscopia Eletr?nica de Varredura. A partir dos p?s foram confeccionadas (sinterizado) as pastilhas para fazer o estudo de densidade aparente e dilata??o t?rmica

Synthesis, nuclear structure, and magnetic properties of the perovskites: Nd0.7-xMgxSr0.3MnO3 (x=0.0, 0.1), Nd0.6Mg0.1Sr0.3Mn1-zMgzO3 (z=0.1, 0.2), LaCr1-yMnyO3 (y=0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) and La1-xNdxFe0.5Cr0.5O3 (x=0.1, 0.15, 0.2) have been studied. The structure of the samples was investigated by X-ray and Neutron powder diffraction and the magnetic properties were investigated by magnetization measurements using SQUID-magnetometry. All compounds have orthorhombic structure with spacegroup Pnma (No. 62). The compounds which had the composition Nd0.7Sr0.3Mn1-yMgyO3 by preparation, were found to attain the composition Nd0.7-xMgxSr0.3MnO3 and Nd0.6Mg0.1Sr0.3Mn1-zMgzO3. The x=0.0 and 0.1 compounds order in a pure ferromagnetic structure at about 200 K, but the Mn moments become slightly tilted and attain an antiferromagnetic component below 20 K. A ferromagnetic Nd moment also appears at low temperatures. The compounds with Mg substitution y=0.2 and 0.3 do not exhibit long range magnetic order, but local ferromagnetic correlations among the Mn moments appear below 200 K. At low temperature, also a local antiferromagnetic ordering of the Nd magnetic moments occurs. In these compounds, the Mn3+/Mn4+ ratio is reduced so that the double exchange interaction is suppressed and the antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction favoured. The samples of composition LaCr1-yMnyO3 have orthorhombic structure at room temperature and below. The magnetic properties of the system are markedly affected by Mn-substitution. The parent compound LaCrO3 is a pure G-type antiferromagnet with Néel temperature 290 K. With incresing Mn-substitution, a ferromagnetic component developes in the ordered phase bcause of canting of the magnetic moments. The degree of canting increases with increasing Mn-substitution and the magnitude of the antiferromagnetic component of the moment decreases. The system La1-xNdxFe0.5Cr0.5O3 has the same antiferromagnetic G-type structure as LaCrO3, but orders already at temperatures above 400 K and develops only a very weak ferromagnetic component of the magnetic moment at low temperatures.

Materials chemistry is essentially concerned with the design/synthesis of new solids endowed with functional properties that could be of relevance to today’s materials technology. Among the large variety of solid materials that attract attention, metal oxides continue to contribute significantly to current materials chemistry. A wide variety of oxide materials (based on rocksalt, spinel, corundum, perovskite, garnet, pyrochlore and other structures) and their properties have been investigated over the years. Most of these oxides are derived from the transition metals. Transition metal oxides with structures derived from metal-oxygen (MO6) octahedra, in particular, display an array of exotic properties with potential or proven technological application. While it is traditionally believed that the partially filled d shell (dn : 0 < n < 10) of the transition metal atoms plays a crucial role in deciding the electronic properties, the significance of d0 metal atoms for the properties (and structure) of transition metal oxides is not fully recognized. Magnetism (SrRuO3, Fe3O4), metallicity (ReO3, LaNiO3), colossal magnetoresistance (La1-xCaxMnO3) and superconductivity (La2xSrxCuO4, Sr2RuO4) are some of the properties that can be traced to the presence of partially filled d shell, while properties like ferroelectricity (BaTiO3), piezoelectricity (PbZr1-xTixO3) and nonlinear optical response (LiNbO3) could be traced to the presence of transition metals (TiIV, ZrIV, NbV) with d0 electronic configuration. The empty d orbitals on the metal atoms constitute the low lying unoccupied states (LUMO) that mix with the highest occupied states (HOMO) of the ligand atoms (oxygen) through special chemical bonding effects (second order Jahn-Teller effect, SOJT). This mixing results, among others, in out-of-centre distortion(s) of the MO6 octahedra and this distortion is at the heart of several properties mentioned above. Among the transition metal oxide structures based on MO6 octahedra, three structures are noteworthy: the perovskite, the pyrochlore and the rutile. The AMO3 perovskite structure consists of a three-dimensional framework of corner sharing MO6 octahedra in which the A cation occupies the dodecahedral site surrounded by twelve oxide ions. The perovskite structure can accommodate a large variety of substitutions at both the A and the M sites as well as vacancies at the A/O sites, giving a large number of derivatives. Several variants of the perovskite structure are also known, for instance, the layered perovskites and ordered perovskites. Many nonperovskite structures are also known for the composition AMO3 : hexagonal YMnO3 is an alternative structure for AMO3 composition where manganese exists as MnO5 trigonal bipyramids. The A2M2O7 pyrochlore structure is also based on a corner-connected network of MO6 octahedra which interpenetrates an A2O network. The rutile (TiO2) is a well-known structure consisting of chains of edge-sharing MO6 octahedra, which are connected through corners to adjacent chains. A large number of oxide materials based on the above three structure types have been reported : for example, perovskite [Ba3ZnTa2O9 (microwave telecommunication ceramic), Pb3MgNb2O9 (relaxor ferroelectric), Bi4Ti3O12 (high temperature ferroelectric)], pyrochlore [Nd2Mo2O7 (metallic ferromagnet), AOs2O6 for A = K, Rb, Cs (superconductor)] and rutile [TiO2 (photocatalyst), CrO2 (metallic ferromagnet), VO2 (insulator-metal transition)]. Considering the current interest in oxide materials of these three structure types which continue to generate new variants and novel properties, we undertook the present research project to synthesize new derivatives of these structure types, and characterize their structures and relevant electronic properties. In doing so, we recognized that synthesis based on an understanding of the reactivity of the constituents and crystal chemistry of the expected products plays a crucial role in this effort. Accordingly, we tailored several new compositions of AMO3, A2M2O7 and MO2 stoichiometries and adopted appropriate methodologies for their synthesis. We have characterized the structures and properties of the solid products by means of state-of-the-art methods available to us. There are two main approaches to the synthesis of nonmolecular inorganic solids: conventional ceramic route and chimie douce / soft chemistry routes. In the ceramic route, solid reactants are heated at elevated temperatures for long durations with intermittent mixing/grinding until the reaction is complete. Chimie douce routes, on the other hand, utilize gentle reactions such as dehydration, decomposition, intercalation, ion exchange, and so on to synthesize the desired phases. The ceramic route generally provides access to the thermodynamically controlled product(s), while chimie douce routes allow access to metastable phases (kinetically controlled product(s)). Disadvantages notwithstanding, the ceramic route has been the mainstay of materials chemistry and several important materials continue to be discovered / synthesized by this route. The choice of the synthetic route based on an understanding of the crystal chemical preferences and the reactivities of the constituents involved is often crucial to achieve the desired final products. The present thesis is devoted to the synthesis and investigation of MO6 octahedra-based oxides belonging to the perovskite, pyrochlore and rutile structure types wherein we have explored alternate synthetic strategies (perovskite-based Ba3MM'2O9 telecommunication ceramics and a solution route for the synthesis of ruthenium-based pyrochlores) and probed structure-property relations of perovskite oxides (Ba3MM'M''O9 oxides for various M/M'/M'' atoms) as well as formation of new derivatives of layered Aurivillius phases. In addition, we have also synthesized new noncentrosymmetric oxides possessing the YMnO3 structure. Our investigation of rutile based oxides has resulted in the discovery of a new lead-free relaxor ferroelectric material, FeTiTaO6. Given that the lone pair PbII:6s2 plays a crucial role in the ferroelectric properties of Pb-based perovskite oxides, we have also investigated members of the Pb1-xLix/2Lax/2TiO3 system for their structure and dielectric response. The present thesis describes the results of these investigations in eight chapters. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to oxides of the perovskite, pyrochlore and rutile structures. In Chapter 2, we describe a new one-pot metathesis strategy for the synthesis of dielectric ceramics Ba3MM'2O9 (M = Mg, Ni, Zn; M' = Nb, Ta). Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data shows near-complete ordering of M-site ions in many cases. The dielectric properties of the products synthesized are found to be in reasonable agreement with reported data. The synthesis of ordered materials at lower temperatures (~1100 °C) than that employed in the conventional ceramic route (~1500 °C) is a significant result of this work. Chapter 3 presents a study of Ba3MIIMIVWO9 (MII = Ca, Zn; MIV = Ti, Zr) perovskite oxides for the purpose of synthesizing new dielectric ceramic materials and to gain understanding of the factors that stabilize 3C vs. 6H structures. In general, a 1:2-ordered 6H perovskite structure is stabilized at high temperatures (1300 °C) for all of the Ba3MIITiWO9 oxides investigated. An intermediate phase possessing a partially ordered 1:1 double perovskite (3C) structure with the cation distribution, Ba2(Zn2/3Ti1/3)(W2/3Ti1/3)O6, is obtained at 1200 °C for Ba3ZnTiWO9. A metastable perovskite, Ba3CaZrWO9, that adopts the 1:1 3C structure has also been synthesized by a low-temperature metathesis route. Besides yielding several new perovskite oxides that may be useful as dielectric ceramics, the investigation provides new insights into the complex interplay of crystal chemistry (tolerance factor) and chemical bonding (anion polarization and d0-induced distortion of metaloxygen octahedra) in the stabilization of 6H versus 3C perovskite structures for the Ba3MIIMIVWO9 series. In Chapter 4, we describe the synthesis and investigation of the structure and dielectric properties of Ba3MIIITiMVO9 (MIII = Fe, Ga, Y, Lu; MV = Nb, Ta, Sb) perovskite oxides. The MV = Nb, Ta oxides adopt disordered/partially ordered 3C perovskite structures, where all the MIII/Ti/MV metal-oxygen octahedra are corner-connected. In contrast, the MV = Sb oxides show a distinct preference for the 6H structure, where SbV/TiIV metal-oxygen octahedra share a common face, forming (Sb,Ti)O9 dimers, that are corner-connected to the MIIIO6 octahedra. Investigation of dielectric properties of MIII = Y/Lu, MV = Nb/Ta oxides reveals a normal low loss dielectric behaviour with ε = 30 – 50 in the temperature range 50 – 350 °C. The MIII = Fe, MV = Nb/Ta members show a dielectric behaviour similar to relaxor ferroelectric materials. Chapter 5 deals with a study of isomorphous substitution of several metal atoms in two Aurivillius structures, Bi5TiNbWO15 and Bi4Ti3O12, in an effort to probe structure-property correlations. These investigations have led to the synthesis of new derivatives, Bi4LnTiMWO15 (Ln, = La, Pr; M = Nb, Ta), as well as Bi4PbNb2WO15 and Bi3LaPbNb2WO15, that largely retain the Aurivillius intergrowth structure of the parent oxide Bi5TiNbWO15, but characteristically tend toward a centrosymmetric / tetragonal structure for the Ln-substituted derivatives. On the other hand, coupled substitution, 2TiIV Æ MV + FeIII in Bi4Ti3O12, yields new Aurivillius phases, Bi4Ti3-2xNbxFexO12 (x = 0.25, 0.50) and Bi4Ti3-2xTaxFexO12 (x = 0.25) that retain the orthorhombic noncentrosymmetric structure of the parent Bi4Ti3O12. Chapter 6 describes the design and synthesis of a new series of noncentrosymmetric oxides, R3Mn1.5CuV0.5O9 (R = Y, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) possessing the YMnO3 structure. Investigation of the Lu-Mn-Cu-V-O system revealed the existence of an isostructural solid solution series, Lu3Mn3-3xCu2xVxO9 for 0 < x ≤ 0.75. Magnetic and dielectric properties of the oxides are consistent with a random distribution of Mn3+, Cu2+ and V5+ atoms that preserves the noncentrosymmetric RMnO3 structure. An exploratory investigation of the synthesis, structure and electronic properties of new ruthenium(IV) pyrochlore oxides and their manganese-substituted derivatives is presented in Chapter 7. The richness of the electronic properties of ruthenium-based metal oxides is affirmed by the results which revealed several novel electronic ground states : a metallic and Pauli paramagnetic state for BiPbRu2O6.5 that turns into a semiconducting ferromagnetic spin-glass state at 50 K for BiPbRuMnO6.5 ; a metallic state that likely shows a charge density wave (CDW) instability at 50-225 K for Bi1.50Zn0.50Ru2O6.75, that is suppressed by manganese substitution in Bi1.50Zn0.50Ru1.75Mn0.25O6.50, and a metallic ferromagnetic spin-glass-like state for Pb2Ru1.75Mn0.25O6.15. We describe the investigation of the structure and dielectric properties of rutile-based MTiTaO6 (M = Al, Cr, Fe) in Chapter 8. All the oxides possess disordered rutile structure. FeTiTaO6 shows a strong relaxor ferroelectric effect, while CrTiTaO6 shows a weaker relaxor ferroelectric behaviour. This work is significant for two reasons: the new material is lead-free and it is based on the rutile structure, unlike the conventional relaxors which are mostly derived from the perovskite structure. The work presented in the thesis is carried out by the candidate as a part of the Ph.D. training programme and most of it has been published in the literature. She hopes that the studies reported here will constitute a worthwhile contribution to materials chemistry in general.

Oxides of ABO3 composition (A = alkali, alkaline earth or rare earth metal in general, B = transition metal) constitute a large family of metal oxides of current interest to solid state and materials chemistry. Among the several structure types exhibited by ABO3 oxides (ilmenite, LiNbO3, perovskite, YAIO3/YMnO3, KSbO3, pyrochlore, among others), the perovskite structure is probably the most well known and widely investigated. The ideal perovskite structure consists of a three-dimensional (3D) framework of corner-sharing BO6 octahedra in which the A cation resides in the dodecahedral site surrounded by twelve oxide ions. The ideal cubic structure occurs when the Gold Schmidt’s tolerance factor, t = (rA + ro)/{V2 (rB + ro)}, adopts a value of unity and the A-O and B-O bond distances are perfectly matched. The flexibility of the perovskite structure towards a wide variety of substitutions at both A and B sites gives rise to a very large number (several hundreds) of perovskite derivatives with subtle variations in structure. The perovskite structure can also tolerate vacancies at both the A and O sites giving ordered superstructures. Members of y4BO3 oxides have numerous properties that find technological application, such as nonlinear optical response (LiNbO3), Ferro electricity (BaTiO3), piezoelectricity (PbZn_xTixO3), magneto ferroelectricity (YMnO3), superconductivity (Bai_xKxBi03)5 colossal magnetoresistance (La^xCaxMnO3) and ionic conductivity [(Lil_a)TiO3] Ordering of cations at the A and B sites of the perovskite structure is an important phenomenon. Ordering of B site cations in double (/42BB'O6) and multiple (/43BB'2Og) perovskites gives rise to newer and interesting materials properties For example, 1*1 ordered Sr2FeMoO6 and Sr2FeReO6 are half-metallic ferrimagnets; Pb3MgNb2O9 is a relaxor ferroelectric; Ba3ZnTa2O9 is a low loss dielectric used in telecommunication and, last but not least, Ba3CoNb2O9 is a visible light driven photocatalyst. Realization of these properties in these materials depends crucially on the ordering/or otherwise of the B site cat ions in the perovskite structure. Furthermore, ordering of not only the metal atoms but also the oxygen/oxygen vacancies in the perovskite structure is equally important for the occurrence of superconductivity in the cuprate superconductor, YBa2Cu3O7. The ideal perovskite structure gives way to hexagonal YMnO3/YAIO3 structure for smaller A cations (tolerance factor, t < 1). Oxides of this structure are attracting current attention for the realization of multiple magnetoferroic properties. On the other hand, for larger A cations (tolerance factor, t > 1), various perovskite polytypic structures are formed. For example, BaNiO3 forms a 2H polytypic structure, SrMnO3 and BaRuO3 adopts a 4H and 9R structures respectively, where the SO6 octahedra share faces or faces and corners. Besides the foregoing 3D perovskites, a number of layered variants of the perovskite structure are also known. The most common layered perovskites are the Aurivillius phases, (Bi2O2)[A»-iBnO3n+iL the Ruddlesden-Popper phases, /4'2|7ln_iBnO3n+1], and the Dion-Jacobson phases, A[An^BnOzn+-\]' The two-dimensional (2D) perovskite unit, [^n-iBnOsn+i], which could be visualized as formed by slicing the 3D perovskite structure along <001>p is common for all the three layered perovskite series. The perovskite slabs are stacked alternately with various charge-balancing units, for example, with [Bi2O2]2+ in the Aurivillius phases and two alkali/alkaline earth cations (A+JA2+) in the Ruddlesden-Popper phases etc. Members of the layered perovskites are also important from the point of view of materials properties. For example, 2D magnetism (K2NiF4), superconductivity (La2-xSrxCuO4), ion exchange, Bronsted acidity, intercalation, exfoliation (K2La2Ti3Oio and CsCa2Nb3O10), photo catalysis (Rb2La2Ti30io) are some of the important materials properties found in layered perovskites. The high Tc-superconductors, Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+XJ TI2Ba2Ca2Cu3Oi0, TIBa2Ca2Cu3O9 and HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+x, also belong to the family of layered perovskites where the defective perovskite cuprate sheets are interleaved by other 2D entities like (Bi2O2), (TI2O2), (TIO) or (HgOx). In addition, Aurivillius phases, such as Bi2SrTa209 and Bi325Lao75Ti3Oi2, in thin film geometry are candidate materials for non-volatile ferroelectric memory devices. Synthesis plays a key role in realizing new structures and materials properties for ABO3 oxides. The conventional synthetic methods (ceramic method) involve mixing and heating of solid reactants at elevated temperatures. Although this approach continues to be employed to synthesize new materials, it is often limited by the fact that it yields thermodynamically stable phases. Since many of the perovskite oxides showing useful materials properties are metastable in nature and are required in the form of fine particles (free-standing / monodisperse / submicron or nanometer dimensions) for application, the ceramic methods are of no avail for this purpose. Therefore, materials chemists constantly endeavor to develop alternate synthetic routes that enable them to synthesize novel oxides under mild conditions. Typical examples of metastable perovskites are: the super conducting cuprates (e.g. TlosPbosS^CaC^Og) and perovskite based lithium ion conductors (La2/3-xLi3XDi/3-2xTiO3). Also the control of oxidation states in double perovskites, such as Sr2FeMoO6 and Sr2FeRe06 and pyrochlores such as Pb2MnReC>6, cannot be achieved by conventional means. Therefore, the synthesis of such metastable phases requires special synthetic strategies that involve soft chemistry (chimie douce) methods where mild reactions/reaction conditions are employed to access metastable phases. The present thesis is mainly devoted to an investigation of perovskite related oxides towards developing new synthetic strategies and materials as well as exploring hydrogen insertion - a novel materials property - in certain members of this family. Solid-state metathesis (SSM) reactions provide a convenient route for the synthesis of a wide variety of non-oxide ceramic materials such as, bondes, carbides, silicides, pnictides and chalcogenides. A typical metathesis reaction, for example, M0CI5 + 5/2 Na2S -» MoS2 + 5 NaCI + 1/2 S (1) involves exchange of atoms/ions between the reactants and is accompanied by a large enthalpy change (AHm = - 890 kJ mol"1) and high adiabatic reaction temperature (Tm = 1413 °C). The reactions are often self-propagating and believed to be driven by the formation of stable salt byproducts such as alkali halides with high lattice energy. In our laboratory we have developed a different kind of metathesis reaction for the synthesis of perovskite related oxides, a typical example being, K2La2Ti30io + 2 BiOCI -* [Bi2O2]La2Ti3O10 + 2 KCI. A major difference between metathesis reactions (1) and (2) is that unlike (1), reaction (2) is not self-propagating, requiring longer duration. In this study, we have investigated metathesis reactions of the second kind at some length for the synthesis of perovskite related oxides. We found that rocksalt oxides such as UMO2 (M = Mn, Co) and Li2TiO3 constitute convenient precursors for the formation of v4BO3 perovskite oxides in metathesis reactions with appropriate reaction partners such as halides, oxyhalides or sulphates, LiCoO2 + LaOCl -» LaCoO3 + LiCt (3) LiMnO2 + LaOCl + x/2 O2 -> LaMnO3+x + LiCI (4) Li2TiO3 + PbSO4 -» PbTiO3 + Li2SO4. (5) We could synthesize not only well known ABO3 oxides but also functional perovskites such as PbZr0 4sTio 52O3 (PZT), La2/3Cai/3MnO3 as well as superconducting BaPbo75Bio2s03 by this method. We could also synthesize La2CuO4 and its superconducting analogues, La185^oi5Cu04 (A = Sr, Ba), by the same method using Li2CuO2 and LaOCl. For the synthesis of double perovskites A2BB%OQ by this method however, appropriate lithium containing rocksalt precursor oxides are not known in the literature. Therefore, we first synthesized rocksalt precursor oxides of the general formula Li4MWO6 (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni) and established their identity. Using these precursor oxides, we could synthesize the double perovskite oxides Sr2MWO6 (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni) in the metathesis reaction Li4MWO6 + 2 SrCI2 -» Sr2MWO6 + 4 LiC Significantly, the double perovskites are formed with an ordered structure at relatively low temperatures (750 - 800 °C) as compared to the high temperatures (up to 1400 °C) usually employed for the synthesis of these materials by conventional ceramic approach. Next, we investigated ABO$ compositions corresponding to the formula for 6 = Cu and Ni, where we could obtain a YAIO3 superstructure consisting of triangular Cu clusters for 6 = Cu, whereas a perovskite phase for B = Ni. Moreover, the Cu-phase appears to be a unique line phase formed around LasCi^VOg composition, whereas a continuous series of GdFeO3-like perovskite oxides are formed for LaNii»xVxO3 (0 < x < 1/3)forS = Ni. Considering the current interest in bringing different transition metal ions (d°/dn electronic configuration) in the same perovskite related structure towards developing multiferroic materials, we investigated the substitution of aliovalent cations in a typical Aurivillius phase, Bi2Sr2Nb2TiOi2. We have characterized new aliovalent cation substituted Aurivillius phases, Bi2SrNaNb2TaOi2, Bi2Sr2Nb2Zr012J Bi2Sr2Nb2 5Feo50i2 and Bi2Sr2Nb2 ezZno 33O12. Lastly, we investigated the interaction of hydrogen with perovskite oxides, /\MnO3 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) in an attempt to characterize possible existence of hydrogen-inserted oxide materials. An oxide-hydride of the formula LaSrCoO3H07 has recently been reported in the literature. Conventionally, the interaction of hydrogen with perovskite related oxides is known to result in either anion deficient phases (e.g. CaMnO3 -> Ca2Mn205), or hydrogen inserted materials, 'hydrogen bronzes', (e. g. HXWO3, HxBaRuO3), where hydrogen acts as an electron donor (H -^ H+ + e). We have characterized a new mode of hydrogen incorporation in Pt dispersed BaMnO3 and SrMnO3. Detailed investigation of the hydrogen sorption behaviour of 1 atom % Pt dispersed materials showed that about 1.25 mass % of hydrogen is inserted per mole of BaMnO3/Pt, corresponding to an insertion of - 3 hydrogen atoms giving 'BaMnOsHs'. While the exact nature of inserted hydrogen is yet to be established unambiguously, our results suggest that the inserted hydrogen is unlikely to be protonic (H+) in the hydrogen insertion product, BaMnO3H3. The results of these investigations are presented in the thesis consisting of seven chapters. Chapter 1 gives an overview of perovskite related oxides - structure, properties and synthesis. Chapter 2 presents metathesis as a general route for the synthesis of ABO3 oxides and illustrates the method by transforming several rocksalt oxides such as LiCoO2, Li2Mn03 and Li2Ti03 to corresponding ABO3 oxides, LaCoO3, /\MnO3 and ATiO3 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba). Uniformly in all the cases, the perovskite oxides are obtained in the form of loosely connected submicron sized particles at considerably lower temperatures than those usually employed for their synthesis by ceramic methods. Thermodynamic calculations have also been carried out to probe into the driving force of metathesis reactions involved in the synthesis. Chapter 3 describes an extension of the metathesis route for the synthesis of double perovskites, Sr2MWO6 (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni). For this purpose, first we synthesized new rocksalt oxides of the general formula, Li4MWO6 (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni). The oxides adopt rocksalt superstructures related to Li4MgReO6 (for M = Mg, Mn, Ni) and U4WO5 (for M = Fe). Metathesis reaction between Li4MWO6 and SrCi2 at 750 - 800 °C yields the corresponding double perovskites where the octahedral site M and W are ordered in the long range. Formation of ordered perovskite oxides at relatively low temperatures (750 - 800 °C) by the metathesis route is a significant result, considering that synthesis of these oxides by conventional ceramic method requires much higher temperatures (1300 - 1400 °C) and prolonged annealing. Synthesis of La2CuO4, Nd2CuO4 and super conducting La-j 85>4oi5Cu04 (A = Sr, Ba) by the metathesis route is described in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 deals with synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of mixed-metal oxides of ABO3 composition in the La-6-V-O (6 = Ni, Cu) systems. While the B = Ni oxides adopt GdFeO3-like perovskite structure containing disordered nickel and vanadium at the octahedral B site, La3Cu2VO9 crystallizes in a YAIO3-type structure. A detailed investigation of the superstructure of nominal La3Cu2VO9 by WDS analysis and Rietveld refinement of powder XRD data reveals that the likely composition of the phase is Lai3Cu9V4O38 5, where the Cu and V atoms are ordered in a Vi3ah (ah = hexagonal a parameter of YAlCMike subcell) superstructure. Magnetic susceptibility data support the proposed superstructure consisting of triangular Cu3 clusters. The present work reveals the contrasting behaviour of La-Cu-V-O and La-Ni-V-0 systems, while a unique line-phase related to YAIO3 structure is formed around La3Cu2VO9 composition in the copper system, a continuous series of perovskite-GdFeO3 solid solutions, LaNi1.0CVxO3 for 0 < x < 1/3 seems to obtain in the nickel system. The chapter also describes the formation of a new transparent Cu(l) oxide, Lai4V6CuO365, and its characterization. This oxide was obtained during attempts to grow single crystals of LasC^VOg. Single crystal structure determination of Lai4V6CuO36 5 showed that the structure contains isolated VO43" tetrahedra and [OCuO]3" sticks dispersed in a lanthanum oxide network. Films of Lai4V6CuO36 5 were grown on R-plane sapphire by using pulsed laser deposition. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction analyses of the films showed oriented growth of the title phase, with an optical band gap of -~ 5 eV and n-type conductivity Chapter 6 presents the work on the flexibility of the Aurivillius structures for substitution of aliovalent/isovalent cations at both A and 6 sites of the perovskite slabs. For example, in a typical n = 3 member, Bi2Sr2Nb2TiOi2, substitution of both Sr and Na at the A site and Ta at the B site has enabled us to synthesize a new n = 3 member, Bi2SrNaNb2Ta0i2, where we see a preference of Nb for the terminal octahedral sheets. Similarly, aliovalent substitution only at the B site of the perovskite slabs of Bi2Sr2Nb2TiOi2 has yielded new members for specific compositions, Bi2Sr2Nb2ZrOi2, Bi2Sr2Nb2 5Feo50i2 and Bi2Sr2Nb2 67Zno33012 that tend to be oxygen-stoichiometric. The latter phases again show a preference of Nb for the terminal octahedral sites that are strongly distorted as compared to the middle octahedral site. This chapter also describes substitution of La3+ for Bi3+ in the perovskite slabs of Bi4Nb30i5 stabilizing a new series of n = 1/ n = 2 intergrowth Aurivillius phases of the formulas, Bi4LnNb3Oi5 (Ln = La, Pr, Nd) and Bi4LaTa30i5. The present work suggests that replacement of Bi3+: 6s2 lone pair ion by non-6s2 cations such as Sr2"* and La3+ in the perovskite slabs of Aurivillius phases tends to render the structure Centro symmetric and the materials lose NLOSHG response. Chapter 7 describes our investigation of the interaction of hydrogen with alkaline earth manganites (IV) >AMnO3 (>A = Ca, Sr, Ba) dispersed with 1 atom % Pt. The result shows an unprecedented uptake of hydrogen by BaMnO3/Pt to the extent of - 1.25 mass % at moderate temperatures (190 - 260 °C) and ambient pressure. Gravimetric sorption isotherms and mass spectrometric analysis of the desorption products indicate that approximately three hydrogen atoms per mole of BaMnCVPt is inserted reversibly. The nature of hydrogen in the insertion product, BaMnO3H3, is discussed in the light of the structure of BaMnC>3. The work presented in the thesis is carried out by the candidate as a part of the Ph. D. training programme and most of it has been published in the literature. He hopes that the studies reported here will constitute a worthwhile contribution to the materials chemistry of ABO3 oxides in general.

This thesis deals with the investigations on the atomic composition, chemical surface states and microstructural features of barium titanate and other electronic ceramics namely barium polytitantes, calcium manganites and magnesium calcium titanate by surface analytical techniques. After presenting a brief introduction on the ceramic materials studied in terms of their crystal structures, electrical properties, nonstoichiometry and interfacial characteristics, the thesis describes the synthesis of the ceramics and the methodology of the different surface analytical techniques utilized such as backscattering spectrometry (BS), an ion beam analysis (IBA) technique, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The XPS investigations on the chemical surface states of polycrystalline barium titanate having well-defined electrical characteristics reveal the prevalence of Ba in two distinct chemical environments : the one corresponding to the lower binding energy is related to the dielectric while the other having higher binding energy is correlated to semiconducting properties of the ceramics. Processes such as abrasion or polishing make the surfaces more reactive and susceptible to atmospheric contamination. Sputter cleaning causes surface modification leading to changes in the Ba (3d) and Ti (2p) spectra. Studies on the surface atomic composition by BS and microstructural features of doped barium titanate ceramics reveal their interfacial characteristics in terms segregation of dopants or metal ion constituents. Surfaces of these ceramics exhibit cationic as well as anionic nonstoichiometry depending on the processing steps involved. Ceramics synthesized by oxalate precursor route are Ti-rich while those prepared by gel-to-crystallite method are Ba-rich. These are correlated to the chemical processes and background impurities which in turn control the microstructures. Barium titanate substitued with > 1 at. % Mn are deficient in oxygen and exist as the hexagonal polymorph. Acceptors segregate at the grain boundaries accompanied by the enrichment of Ti leading to PTCR or GBLC characteristics. The oxygen nonstoichiometry prevailing in the surface regions of differently processed calcium manganites is investigated by way of depth profile measurements involving 16O(a,a) 16O resonant scattering. These studies reveal extensive compositional heterogeneity across the surface layers particularly in the manganite specimens annealed in lower po2 leading to the stabilization of brownmillerite phase. Two of the microwave dielectric ceramics namely dibarium nona-titanate and barium tetra-titanate with suitable variations in Ba:Ti ratios have been synthesized by the carbonate-gel precipitation. The corresponding dense ceramics have high permittivity (~ 52) and low temperature coefficient of permittivity (TCK ~ 5 ppm /0C). Extensive miscibility between the ilmenite-type MgTiO3 and perovskite-type CaTiO3 over a wide compositional range is brought about by the simultaneous equivalent substitution of Al3+ + La3+. The resulting (Mg1-(x+y)CaxLay)(Ti1-yAly)O3 ceramics exhibit improved microwave dielectric properties by way of high permittivity, low TCK and high quality factor. The microarea elemental distribution and chemical surface state studies reveal the complexity in the Mg/Ca distribution and its correlation with the solid state miscibility as well as dielectric properties. The discontinuous changes in the local site symmetry of the cationic substituents in these ceramics have been investigated by the photoluminescence spectra using Pr3+ as the emission probe.

The present research work focuses on the fabrication and characterization of epitaxial heterostructures of 0.7 Pb(Mg1/3N2/3)O3 – 0.3 PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) and La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 (LSMO) using multi target pulsed laser ablation technique. Different heterostructures such as bilayered thin films with different individual layer thickness; symmetric and asymmetric superlattices of different periodicities were fabricated. Roles of individual layer thickness, elastic strain and interfaces between PMN-PT and LSMO layers on different physical properties were studied. An attempt has been made to understand the influence of the charge depleted interface states in addition to the probable strain mediated elastic coupling effect on the observed magneto-dielectric response in these engineered heterostructures. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the multiferroic materials, occurrence of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in them, their possible technological applications and the challenges involved. A short historical account of the multiferroic research is discussed to emphasize the importance of artificial multiferroics, particularly the engineered thin film heterostructures. Finally the specific objectives of the current research are outlined. Chapter 2 deals with the various experimental studies carried out in this research work. It gives the details of the experimental set up and the basic operation principles of various structural and physical characterizations of the materials prepared. A brief explanation of material fabrication, structural, micro structural and physical property measurements is discussed. Chapter 3 addresses the phase formation, structural and microstructural features of the engineered heterostructures fabricated epitaxially on single crystalline LaAlO3 (100) substrates. A thin layer of LaNiO3 used as the bottom electrode material for electrical characterizations was grown on the bare substrate prior to the fabrication of the PMN-PT/LSMO heterostructures. The structural and microstructural features of different individual layers were also studied by fabricating single layer thin films of the materials. The effects of individual layer thicknesses on the surface roughness, grain size and lattice strain of the heterostructures are discussed. Chapter 4 deals with the ferroelectric studies of the PMN-PT/LSMO epitaxial heterostructures. Polarization hysteresis (P-E), capacitance – voltage (C-V) and pulsed polarization (PUND) measurements were carried out as functions of applied voltage, frequency and delay time to characterize the ferroelectric properties of the heterostructures. All the bilayered heterostructures exhibited robust ferroelectric response and contribution of non – remnant components to their polarization behaviour were observed from the P-E studies. The symmetric superlattices did not exhibit any ferroelectricity due to high leakage current conduction. After optimizing the LSMO and PMN-PT layer thicknesses ferroelectricity was observed in the asymmetric superlattices accompanied by substantial reduction in the leakage current conduction. The P-E loops were found to be asymmetrically shifted along the electric field axis in all the superlattices indicating the presence of dielectric passive layers and strong depolarizing fields at the interfaces between PMN-PT and LSMO. Chapter 5 deals with the ferromagnetic studies of the PMN-PT/LSMO heterostructures. All the heterostructures exhibited ferromagnetic behaviour in the temperature range of 10 K – 300 K with an in plane magnetic easy axis ([100]) compared to the out of plane ([001]) direction. The magnetization behaviour of the bilayers and superlattices as a function of magnetic field strength, temperature and different individual layer thickness of PMN-PT and LSMO are discussed in terms of the oxygen deficiency, magnetic dead layers and lattice strain effects in these engineered epitaxial heterostructures. Chapter 6 addresses the magneto-dielectric response, dielectric properties and ac conduction properties of the engineered biferroic heterostructures. In order to investigate the manifestation of strain mediated ME coupling in these heterostructures their dielectric response as a function of ac electric signal frequency have been studied under different static magnetic fields over a wide range of temperatures. The appearance of magneto-capacitance and its dependence on magnetic field strength and temperature along with the magnetoresistive characteristics of the heterostructures suggested that the charge depleted interfaces between PMN-PT and LSMO can have an effect on the observed dielectric response in addition to the probable strain mediated ME coupling. Dielectric characterization of the heterostructures performed over a wide range of temperature indicated a Maxwell-Wagner type relaxation mechanism. The manifestation of Maxwell-Wagner effect and the very low activation energy of ac conductivity obtained from the ac conduction studies revealed the strong influence of the charge depleted interfaces between PMN-PT and LSMO on the dielectric properties of the heterostructures. Chapter 7 deals with the dc leakage current conduction characteristics of the heterostructures. The leakage current characterization was performed over a wide range of temperature and analyzed in the framework of different models to investigate the leakage mechanism. All the heterostructures were found to obey the power law I∝Vα over the entire range of temperature with different values of α at different applied voltages. The bilayered heterostructures exhibited ohmic conduction in the lower electric field region and space charge limited conduction was observed at higher electric fields. On the other hand the low field dc conduction behaviour of the superlattices could not be attributed unambiguously to a single mechanism. Depending on the superlattice periodicity the low field conduction behaviour was dominated by either Poole-Frenkel (PF) emission or a combined contribution from the PF effect and ohmic conduction. At higher electric fields all the superlattices exhibited space charge limited conduction. Chapter 8 gives the summary and conclusions of the present study and also discusses about the future work that could give more insight into the understanding of the engineered epitaxial biferroic heterostructures.

Cette thèse porte sur la synthèse et l'étude des propriétés structurales et magnétiques de perovskites RBaMn2O6-d (où d = 0 et 0,5).<br /> En ce qui concerne le composé YBaMn2O6, les mesures par DSC indiquent que celui-ci subit trois transitions : deux autour de 500K et la troisième à 750K. L'étude par diffraction des rayons X et de neutrons a montré que la phase de plus haute température cristallisait dans le groupe P4/nbm. Les diffractogrammes de rayons X et de neutrons ne présentent qu'un seul changement alors que deux transitions sont observées par DSC au voisinage de 500K. La phase intermédiaire a été affinée dans le groupe d'espace C2/m. La phase d'ordre de charges (en dessous de 500K) étant de basse symétrie, nous avons réalisé un affinement combiné rayons X-neutrons. Les résultats obtenus indiquent un écart de seulement 15% par rapport à un ordre de charges idéal Mn3+/Mn4+. L'affinement de la structure magnétique et les mesures de susceptibilité magnétique indiquent la formation de polarons de Zener contenant quatre cations manganèse. <br /> Le composé YBaMn2O5,5 cristallise dans le groupe d'espace Icma, sa maille étant double de celle du composé au lanthane. Ceci est du à l'existence d'une rotation des octaèdres de la structure autour de la direction [001] dans le composé YBaMn2O5,5. L'affinement de la structure magnétique ainsi que les mesures de susceptibilité magnétique indiquent que les spins des cations Mn3+ présents dans la structure sont couplés de manière antiferromagnétique. <br /> L'étude des composés RBaMn2O6 nous a permis d'établir un diagramme de phases en fonction de la terre rare et de la température.