In-situ neutron diffraction of LaCoO₃ perovskite under uniaxial compression. I. Crystal structure analysis and texture development

The dynamics of texture formation, changes in crystal structure, and stress accommodation mechanisms have been studied in perovskite-type R3̄c rhombohedral LaCoO₃ during uniaxial compression using in-situ neutron diffraction. The in-situ neutron diffraction revealed the complex crystallographic changes causing the texture formation and significant straining along certain crystallographic directions during compression, which are responsible for the appearance of hysteresis and non-linear ferroelastic deformation in the LaCoO₃ perovskite. The irreversible strain after the first loading was connected with the appearance of non-recoverable changes in the intensity ratio of certain crystallographic peaks, causing non-reversible texture formation. However, in the second loading/unloading cycle, the hysteresis loop was closed and no further irrecoverable strain appeared after deformation. The significant texture formation is responsible for an increase in the Young's modulus of LaCoO₃ at high compressive stresses, ranging from 76GPa at the very beginning of the loading to 194GPa at 900MPa at the beginning of the unloading curve.