Colossal magnetoresistance in doped manganites: A consequence of percolation and phase separation.

We report measurements of the resistivity and magnetization of high-quality melt-processed La[sub 0.67]Ca[sub 0.33]MnO[sub 3] (LCM) and Sr-doped LCM materials that exhibit a sharp and enhanced metal–insulator transition (T[sub MI]) with significant colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) and two competing magnetic phases in the vicinity of T[sub MI]. Our results can well be explained using percolation in combination with the phase-separation scenario proposed for CMR. We propose that the spin polarization through grain boundaries and the enhanced grain connectivity between the ferromagnetic domains facilitate better percolation through a junction and filament-like resistor network. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]