Enhanced Ferromagnetic Ordering in GdBaCo₂O_(5.5+δ) Films on SrTiO3 (001) Substrate

The authors investigated the structure and properties of GdBaCo$_{2}$O$_{5.5+\delta}$ thin films epitaxially grown on SrTiO$_{3}$ (001) single crystal substrates. The thin films were found to have a notable remnant magnetization above room temperature, which is much higher than that observed in bulk material. Transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction patterns reveal that phase separation occurs in these films, and the phase responsible for the enhanced ferromagnetic order is $a$-oriented. The enhanced ferromagnetic order is attributed to the enhanced orbital order of Co$^{3+}$ in CoO$_{5}$ pyramids, and the disappearance of ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition is explained the stabilization of higher spin state of Co$^{3+}$ in CoO$_{6}$ octahedra.