Structural, electrical and magnetic features of Kagomé YBaCo₄O₇ system

Polycrystalline yttrium barium cobaltite (YBaCo₄O₇) powdered sample was prepared by conventional solid state reaction route using high purity yttrium oxide, barium carbonate and cobalt oxide. The as-prepared sample was characterized by XRD diffraction, SEM/EDAX, Raman analytical techniques, resistivity and magnetization measurements for structural, morphological, electrical and magnetic properties assessment. XRD pattern confirms the single phase formation of the sample without any impurity. SEM image shows the hexagonal growth of the crystal and EDAX spectrum reveals stoichiometric composition of as prepared sample. The variation in electrical resistivity from 90 K to 300 K follows the variable range hopping conductivity mechanism. The strong broad overlapped Raman peaks of Co–O and Y–O stretching and bending vibrations of tetrahedral CoO₄ with included components of YO₆ of octahedral symmetry are obtained at 542 cm⁻¹, 486 cm⁻¹ and 636 cm⁻¹, 436 cm⁻¹, respectively. DC magnetic susceptibility exhibits very weak ferromagnetism below 80 K and does not obey Curie-Weiss law.