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Two samples of the [Ca$_2$CoO$_{3-t}$]$_{0.62}$(CoO$_2$) misfit cobaltate, often denoted as the Ca$_{3}$Co$_{3.93}$O$_{9}$ phase, were prepared from the same ceramic material by the oxygen and argon annealing, resulting in different carrier concentrations in the conducting CoO$_{2}$ layers, n=0.31 and 0.19 hole/Co, respectively. Electrical and thermal transport properties were studied in dependence of magnetic field up to 140 kOe. The magnetothermopower data reveal an extra spin-entropy contribution to Seebeck coefficient that is not expected for carriers of Fermi liquid character. Its magnitude is unprecedentedly large and makes at zero field up to 50$\%$ of the theoretical limit k$_B$/$e$ ln2$ = 59 \mu VK^{-1}$. This spin-entropy contribution is gradually suppressed with increasing magnetic field, and the saturation is even observed when temperatures are low enough. To understand the results, the thermopower is treated in terms of purely thermodynamic Kelvin formula, and so-called Spin liquid model is evoked, providing a reason for the spin-entropy manifestation in the [Ca$_2$CoO$_{3-t}$]$_{0.62}$(CoO$_2$) misfits., Comment: 26 pages including 11 figures

We present results of measurements of electrical, magnetic and thermal properties of EuB$_{5.99}$C$_{0.01}$. The observed anomalously large negative magnetoresistance as above, so below the Curie temperature of ferromagnetic ordering $T_C$ is attributed to fluctuations in carbon concentration. Below $T_C$ the carbon richer regions give rise to helimagnetic domains, which are responsible for an additional scattering term in the resistivity, which can be suppressed by a magnetic field. Above $T_C$ these regions prevent the process of percolation of magnetic polarons (MPs), acting as "spacers" between MPs. We propose that such "spacers", being in fact volumes incompatible with existence of MPs, may be responsible for the decrease of the percolation temperature and for the additional (magneto)resistivity increase in systems with MPs., Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Submitted for publication

BFO3 ceramics were investigated by means of infrared reflectivity and time domain THz transmission spectroscopy at temperatures 20 - 950 K, and the magnetodielectric effect was studied at 10 - 300 K, with the magnetic field up to 9 T. Below 175 K, the sum of polar phonon contributions into the permittivity corresponds to the value of measured permittivity below 1 MHz. At higher temperatures, a giant low-frequency permittivity was observed, obviously due to the enhanced conductivity and possible Maxwell-Wagner contribution. Above 200 K the observed magnetodielectric effect is caused essentially through the combination of magnetoresistance and the Maxwell-Wagner effect, as recently predicted by Catalan (Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 102902 (2006)). Since the magnetodielectric effect does not occur due to a coupling of polarization and magnetization as expected in magnetoferroelectrics, we call it improper magnetodielectric effect. Below 175 K the magnetodielectric effect is by several orders of magnitude lower due to the decreased conductivity. Several phonons exhibit gradual softening with increasing temperature, which explains the previously observed high-frequency permittivity increase on heating. The observed non-complete phonon softening seems to be the consequence of the first-order nature of the ferroelectric transition., Comment: subm. to PRB. revised version according to referees' reports

Specific heat of the layered NaxCoO2 (x=0.65, 0.70 and 0.75) oxides has been measured in the temperature range of 3-360 K and magnetic field of 0 and 9 T. The analysis of data, assuming the combined effect of inter-layer superexchange and the phase separation into mesoscopic magnetic domains with localized spins embedded in a matrix with itinerant electronic character, suggests that the dominant contribution to the specific heat in the region of short-range ordering is mediated by quasi-2D antiferromagnetic clusters, perpendicular to the CoO2 layers.

NMR, EPR and magnetization measurements in Na$_x$CoO$_2$ for $0.65\leq x\leq 0.75$ are presented. While the EPR signal arises from Co$^{4+}$ magnetic moments ordering at $T_c\simeq 26$ K, $^{59}$Co NMR signal originates from cobalt nuclei in metallic regions with no long range magnetic order and characterized by a generalized susceptibility typical of strongly correlated metallic systems. This phase separation in metallic and magnetic insulating regions is argued to occur below $T^*(x)$ ($220 - 270$ K). Above $T^*$ an anomalous decrease in the intensity of the EPR signal is observed and associated with the delocalization of the electrons which for $T

The thermodynamic and magnetic properties of MnCl3(C12H8N2), have been studied down to 2 K. The material is an S = 2 antiferromagnetic linear chain that undergoes long-range ordering to a canted antiferromagnetic state at 23 K. The comparison of magnetic data from polycrystalline samples with the results of specific heat measurements using a pressed pellet of powder reveals the importance of the length of the chains in the sample in relation to the magnetic correlation length.

Thin films of Nd$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ manganites with colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) properties have been synthesized by the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique on (100)-SrTiO$_{3}$. The lattice parameters of these manganites and correlatively their CMR properties can be controlled by the substrate temperature $T_{S}$. The maximum CMR effect at 75K, calculated as the ratio $\rho (H=0T)/\rho (H=7T)$ is 10$^4$ for a deposition temperature of $T_{S}=680$ degC. Structural studies show that the Nd$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ film is single phase, [010]-oriented and has a pseudocubic symmetry of the perovskite subcell with a=3.77$\AA$ at room temperature. We suggest that correlation between lattice parameters, CMR and substrate temperature $T_{S}$ result mainly from substrate-induced strains which can weaken the charge-ordered state at low temperature., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Applied Physics Letters