Finite-size effect on evolution of Griffiths phase in manganite nanoparticles

Abstract

The finite-size effect on the evolution of Griffiths phase (GP) is studied using nanoparticles of half-doped manganite Pr$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ with different average particle sizes but having similar structural parameters. All the samples exhibit pronounced GP behavior. With reducing particle size, the Griffiths temperature remains almost unchanged but the characteristic critical temperature $T_c^R$ decreases and the GP properties are strengthened. It is noteworthy that the shift of $T_c^R$ follows finite-size scaling with the particle size revealing an exotic interplay between the GP properties and the sample dimension. This reinforces an earlier proposal of length-scale related evolution of GP.