The
B-site-ordered double-perovskite Pb2NiMoO6 was
prepared at high pressure and high temperature. The structural
analysis of synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data shows that Pb2NiMoO6 crystallizes into monoclinic symmetry with
the space group Pc (no. 7), where the Ni and Mo ions
are ordered in a rock-salt-type manner. The magnetic and specific
heat characterizations reveal unusual two-step antiferromagnetic (AFM)
transitions at 18 and 26 K for Pb2NiMoO6. The
X-ray absorption spectra at the Ni-L
2,3 edge and the Mo-L
3 edge and the high-resolution
partial fluorescence yield at the Pb-L
3 edge indicate Pb2+
2Ni2+Mo6+O6 valence states. Although in A2NiMoO6 (A = Sr2+, Pb2+, and Ba2+), the size of the A cation increases gradually from Sr2+ (1.44 Å) to Pb2+ (1.49 Å) to Ba2+ (1.61 Å), Pb2NiMoO6 exhibits much lower
symmetry structure and AFM transition temperature, T
N, compared with Sr2NiMoO6 (I4/m, T
N =
81 K) and Ba2NiMoO6 (Fm3̅m, T
N = 64 K), which is attributed
to the large distortion of NiO6 and MoO6 octahedra
induced by the lone pair electron effect of Pb2+ with a
6s2 electronic configuration. Moreover, symmetry-breaking
phase transition from a high-temperature centrosymmetric, cubic Fm3̅m phase to a low-temperature
non-centrosymmetric, monoclinic Pc phase was observed
at 393–413 K in Pb2NiMoO6.