A new nano-sized perovskite oxide La0.5Sr0.5Ti0.5Fe0.4Cr0.1O3 has been prepared according to the citrate precursor method at two different temperatures. Rietveld profile analysis shows that the phase crystallizes with the orthorhombic unit cell in the space group Pbnm. The size reduction due to the decrease in calcination temperature leads to an increase in lattice parameters and an expansion of the cell volume. The average grain size obtained from the TEM measurement is found to be larger than the observed crystal size obtained from XRD. The magnetic studies suggest that the anti-ferromagnetic interactions are dominant because of Fe3+–O–Fe3+ and Cr3+–O–Cr3+ exchange interactions.
Graphical Abstract