Spin Crossover and Magnetic Properties of Ba-Substituted Cobaltites

The dependence of the properties of the La_0.45Ba_0.55CoO_{3 – δ} and La_0.4Ba_0.6CoO_{3 – δ} cobaltites on the oxygen content has been studied. A decrease in the oxygen content leads to the stabilization of cobalt ions in the 3+ oxidation state and to a transition from a conducting state with positive exchange interaction to an antiferromagnetic insulating state with a long range magnetic order with decreasing temperature. Application of a magnetic field gradually transforms the antiferromagnetic state to the ferromagnetic one. The cubic lattice parameter is independent of temperature and an anomalous dependence of the magnetization, electrical conductivity, and magnetoresistance is treated within a spin crossover scenario. It is assumed that the high-temperature conducting phase and ferromagnetic clusters correspond to a collective intermediate spin state of cobalt ions, whereas the low-temperature antiferromagnetic phase corresponds to a mixed high-spin/low-spin state.