Oxygen Isotope Effect in Layered Manganites

The oxygen isotope effect in ceramic bilayer manganite (La1 zPrz)1.2Sr1.8Mn216 18O7 (z = 0, 0.3, 0.4, 0.6) has been investigated. Real and imaginary parts of ac magnetic susceptibility, dc magnetization and magnetoresistance were measured at temperatures from 4.2 to 320 K in applied magnetic field up to 40 kOe. Substantial decrease of ferromagnetic (FM) transition temperature TFM under oxygen isotope substitution 16O → 18O was found. This positive isotope effect amounts to more than 20 K. A number of additional transitions of ferromagnetic type were observed at T >170 K, which also depend on oxygen overall mass. The obtained results are compared with those observed in other manganites exhibiting the large isotope effect.