Abstract:
The structure of two new phases in the bismuth manganite system are reported. The phases were determined by electron diffraction studies of two oxygen-deficient bulk samples. The first phase, a minority component of bulk BiMnO(2.94) forms a n = 2 Ruddlesden-Popper phase with space group Cmc2(1). The second phase, from bulk BiMnO(2.99), is an orthorhombic structure with space group Pmn2(1) and a unit cell approximately equal to 4 x root 2 x 2 root 2 times the parent perovskite cell. Importantly both phases are non-centrosymmetric and offer further potential for multiferroic studies.
