Electronic Properties of Mixed-Valence Manganates:  The Role of Mn Substitutional Defects

Single-phase perovskites in the solid solution series La0.7+yA0.3-yMn1-xMxO3 (with 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.10; A = Sr2+, M = Cu2+, Zn2+, Sc3+, Cr3+, Co3+, and Ga3+; A = Ba2+, M = Cu2+, Zn2+, and Sc3+) have been prepared via the acetic acid solutions freeze-drying method. This soft procedure makes possible strict stoichiometric control, and the synthetic variables allow one to maintain a constant proportion of Mn4+ (ca. 32%) in the 47 compounds prepared. In this way, the concentration of cationic vacancies at A and B sites is practically negligible in all cases. X-ray powder diffraction patterns corresponding to the 47 compounds have been completely indexed with rhombohedral perovskite cells. The cryst…