Microstructural analysis by X-ray powder diffraction of nanosized Pr0.67Sr0.33MnO3 manganite

This paper covers a detailed study of the microstructural properties of Pr 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 nanoparticles prepared via sol–gel method with sintering temperature T S = 700 °C. The microstructural properties were estimated using the Scherrer method, the Williamson–Hall plot and the Rietveld method. The anisotropic peak broadening of Pr 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 nanoparticles was modelled using several models. The spherical harmonics approximation was used to describe the anisotropic crystallite size. Besides, the anisotropic microstrain distribution was described using Stephens’s model for anisotropic peak broadening and the three-dimensional microstrain distribution in the Pr 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 nanoparticles was obtained. The magnetic study has revealed the strong impact of microstructural parameters on the magnetic behavior of Pr 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 sample.