Ferromagnetic spin-orbit coupling in the Ba2SbSmO6 perovskite-like insulator

In search of unconventional ferromagnetic mechanisms in perovskite-like materials, the synthesis process, crystal structure, surface morphology, composition, and optical and magnetic behaviors of the narrowly studied rare-earth antimoniate Ba 2 SbSmO 6 , as well as its electronic structure calculated using the density functional theory, are reported in the present. Samples were synthesized by means of the solid-state reaction method. The structural analysis of the obtained compound was performed by Rietveld refinement of the experimental X-ray diffraction experimental data, which revealed its crystallization in a cubic complex perovskite, belonging to the space group Fm 3 - m (#225) with lattice parameter a = 8.5085(5) Å. Surface morphological studies revealed the polycrystalline character of the material, with inhomogeneous granular microstructure and nanometric average size. The measured composition is close to that expected from the stoichiometry of the material. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements exhibited magnetic anisotropy effects and magnetization hysteresis curves showed weak ferromagnetic response for the examined temperature values. The electronic structure was calculated by means linearized augmented plane waves (FP-LAPW) in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT). Curves of density of states as a function of the wave number revealed the insulator behavior of the Ba 2 SbSmO 6 material. The weak ferromagnetism exhibited by this perovskite-like compound is attributed to the occurrence of spin-orbit interaction effects of the 4f-Sm 3+ electrons hybridized with 2p–O 2− orbitals.