Effect of A-site ionic disorder on the structure, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of La0.7−xNdxCa0.3−y(Ba,Sr)yMnO3.

The effects of A-site cation size mismatch on La0.7 − xNdxCa0.3 − y(Ba,Sr)yMnO3 perovskite materials with a constant A-site average ionic radius ⟨rA⟩ = 1.2052 Å have been investigated. Polycrystalline samples have been prepared through the standard solid-state reaction method at high temperatures, and their structures, magnetic properties, and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) have been investigated in detail. X-ray diffraction patterns show that all of the samples crystallized in an orthorhombic structure with the space group Pnma. XPS analysis confirmed the Mn3+/Mn4+ ratio remained constant as σ2 was varied. Meanwhile, upon increasing σ2 from 0.0002 to 0.007, the Curie temperature (TC) decreased linearly from 254 K to 108 K. Based on M-H isotherms, Arrott plots and the maximum magnetic entropy prove a crossover of first-to-second-order transition with increasing σ2. Samples with σ2 = 0.0002, 0.001, and 0.003 exhibited a first-order transition and had larger MCEs than those showing a second-order transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]