Itinerant-to-localized electron transition in CaRu1xSnxO3 and SrRu1xPbxO3

Abstract
SrRuO3 and CaRuO3 are perovskites with an orthorhombic distortion and are believed to have a narrow itinerant band. SrRuO3 is the only known ferromagnetic conductor in 4d transition-metal oxides, while CaRuO3 is a paramagnetic conductor. Substituting Pb and Sn for Ru in SrRuO3 and CaRuO3, respectively, preserves the crystal structure, while removing electrons from the 4d band, resulting in an itinerant-to-localized electron transition and also substantially altering the magnetic coupling, giving rise to a new magnetically ordered phase. In particular, it appears that the paramagnetic CaRuO3 is on the verge of magnetic ordering and readily evolves into a magnetically ordered phase when slightly doped with Sn (4-10%). Such an ordered phase is not stable and disappears when Sn concentration is higher than 10%. On the other hand, the Curie temperature (TC=165 K) of SrRuO3 seems to be sensitive to Pb doping, and increases to 210 K when the Pb concentration in the compound is higher than 30%. For both SrRuO3 and CaRuO3 the transition to the magnetic state is accompanied by an itinerant-to-localized electron transition due to the 4d-electron depletion. These results are based on measurements of magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity. This study reveals striking observations which underscore the importance of the interplay between the conduction band and (anti)ferromagnetism.