Phase Behavior and Defect Structure of HoBaCo2O6-δ

The differential scanning calorimetry study showed that the double perovskite HoBaCo2O6-δ (HBC), depending on its oxygen content, undergoes three phase transitions in the temperature range 298–773 K. Their origin was tentatively explained using the relevant literature data. For the single-phase tetragonal HBC, the oxygen nonstoichiometry dependences on the oxygen partial pressure were investigated by thermogravimetric and flow reactor methods in the intermediate-temperature range of 573–773 K. The proposed defect structure of HBC was successfully verified using the obtained data on its oxygen nonstoichiometry combined with those reported earlier. As a result, the values of the thermodynamic parameters (∆Hi∘, ∆Si∘) of the defect reactions proceeding in HBC were determined. The defect structure of HBC was shown to be similar to that of YBaCo2O6-δ (YBC) likely due to similar ionic radii of Ho3+ and Y3+.