Neodymium nickelate is a nickelate of

neodymium Neodymium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is the fourth member of the lanthanide series and is considered to be one of the rare-earth element, rare-earth metals. It is a hard (physics), hard, sli ...

with a chemical formula NdNiO₃. In this compound, the neodymium atom is in the +3 oxidation state.

Preparation

Neodymium nickelate can be prepared by dissolving neodymium(III) oxide and

nickel(II) oxide Nickel(II) oxide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is the principal oxide of nickel. It is classified as a basic metal oxide. Several million kilograms are produced annually of varying quality, mainly as an intermediate in the product ...

nitric acid Nitric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but samples tend to acquire a yellow cast over time due to decomposition into nitrogen oxide, oxides of nitrogen. Most com ...

, followed by heating the mixture in an

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

atmosphere. It can also be prepared by pyrolyzing a mixture of nickel nitrate and neodymium nitrate. It decomposes in high temperature (950 °C) by

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

: :4 NdNiO₃ → 2 Nd₂NiO₄ + 2 NiO + O₂ It can also be reduced to the monovalent nickel compound NdNiO₂ by

sodium hydride Sodium hydride is the chemical compound with the empirical formula Na H. This alkali metal hydride is primarily used as a strong yet combustible base in organic synthesis. NaH is a saline (salt-like) hydride, composed of Na+ and H− ions, in co ...

at 160 °C.

Physical properties

Neodymium nickelate shows metal-insulator transition (MIT) under low temperature. The temperature at which it transforms (T_MIT) is 200K, which is higher than praseodymium nickelate (130K) but lower than samarium nickelate (400K). It transforms from

antiferromagnetism In materials that exhibit antiferromagnetism, the magnetic moments of atoms or molecules, usually related to the spins of electrons, align in a regular pattern with neighboring spins (on different sublattices) pointing in opposite directions. ...

paramagnetism Paramagnetism is a form of magnetism whereby some materials are weakly attracted by an externally applied magnetic field, and form internal, induced magnetic fields in the direction of the applied magnetic field. In contrast with this behavior, ...

. It has demonstrated to be a first-order phase transition (this applies for praseodymium nickelate as well). The temperature (T_N) can be changed by varying the NiO₆ octahedral distortion. It is the only lathanide nickelate to have the same T_MIT as T_N.

Uses

In a 2010 study, it was found that neodymium nickelate as an

anode An anode usually is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, which is usually an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the devic ...

material provided 1.7 times the current density of typical

LSM LSM may refer to: Science *Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (Modane Underground Laboratory), a particle physics laboratory in France *Lanthanum strontium manganite, a crystal used as a cathode material *Confocal microscopy, Laser scanning microsc ...

anodes when integrated into a commercial SOEC and operated at 700 °C, and approximately 4 times the current density when operated at 800 °C. The increased performance is postulated to be due to higher "overstoichiometry" of oxygen in the neodymium nickelate, making it a successful conductor of both ions and electrons. Neodymium nickelate can also be used in electrocatalysts, synapse transistors, photovoltaics, memory resistors, biosensors, and electric-field sensors.

References

{{nickel compounds Neodymium compounds Nickel compounds Perovskites