Electronic States of Half-Metallic Chromium Oxides Probed by 53Cr NMR

We have performed 53Cr NMR measurements to investigate local electronic states of K2Cr8O16 and CrO2 which are ferromagnetic half-metals with high valent chromium ions. In the ferromagnetic metallic phases of both oxides, we observed at least two 53Cr NMR spectra which are inconsistent with crystallographically inequivalent one chromium site on a tetragonal lattice, the hollandite structure (symmetry I4/m) of K2Cr8O16 and the rutile structure (P42mnm) of CrO2. The origin of this anomalous electronic state may be associated with an electronic phase separation in double exchange systems with the mixed valence.