Magneto-caloric properties of La0.7Ca0.3(Ni1−xMnx)O3 compounds

The magneto-caloric effect and the magnetization behavior have been analyzed in the La0.7-Ca0.3(Ni1−xMnx)O3 (x = 0.85, 0.88, 0.91, 0.94, 0.97, 1.00) compound. Samples were prepared by using a standard solid-state reaction in a stream of 5% H2/Ar gas. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that all the samples had a single phase with an orthorhombic structure. The Curie temperature increased from 175 K to 269 K with increasing Mn concentration. The values of magnetic entropy change, ΔSM are also increased from 1.20 to 5.64 J/kg K with increasing of Mn content. The enhancement of the magnetic entropy change is believed to be due to the occurrence of the strong magnetic ordering between Mn-Mn atoms. The interesting features of this compound make it a competitive candidate as a working material in magnetic refrigeration applications.