Existence of structural, electronic and magnetic correlations in Sm₂NiMnO₆ double perovskite

Coupling between different interactions allows the control of physical aspects in multifunctional materials by perturbing any degrees of freedom. Here, we aim to probe the correlation among structural, electronic, and magnetic observables in Sm₂NiMnO₆(SNMO) ferromagnetic insulator double perovskite. Our employed methodology includes thermal evolution of x-ray diffraction, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and bulk magnetometry. The magnetic ordering in SNMO adopts two transitions, at<i>T</i>_C= 160 K due to the ferromagnetic arrangement of Ni-Mn sublattice and at<i>T</i>_d= 34 K because of anti-parallel alignment of polarized Sm paramagnetic moments with respect to Ni-Mn network. Signature of Ni/Mn anti-site disorders are evidenced from short-range structure and magnetization analysis. The long-range as well as short-range crystal structure of SNMO undergo changes across<i>T</i>_Cand<i>T</i>_d, observed through temperature dependent variation in Ni/Mn-O bonding characters. Hybridization between Ni, Mn 3<i>d</i>, O 2<i>p</i>electronic states show changes in the vicinity of magnetic transition. The change in crystal environments governs the magnetic response by imposing alteration in metal-ligand orbital overlap. On the other hand, it is observed that application of electric bias causes monotonic reduction in the saturation magnetic moment. By using these experimental methods, we demonstrate how the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties are correlated in SNMO, which makes it a potential platform for technological usage.