Structural phase transitions in Pr1-xLaxAlO3: Heat capacity and x-ray scattering studies

Structural phase transitions in Pr1-xLaxAlO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) single crystals have been studied through heat capacity and high-resolution x-ray scattering measurements. For PrAlO3, the heat capacity shows a sharp first-order peak at the rhombohedral to orthorhombic transition, while a classic mean-field anomaly is observed at the orthorhombic to monoclinic transition at lower temperatures. The transition temperature and the heat capacity anomaly of …