Critical behavior and anisotropic magnetocaloric effect of the quasi-one-dimensional hexagonal ferromagnet PrCrGe3

Critical properties and anisotropic magnetocaloric effect of hexagonal ferromagnet PrCrGe3 single crystals were investigated. The critical exponents beta = 0.352 with a critical temperature T-C = 90.5 K and gamma = 1.026 with T-C = 90.6 K are obtained by the modified Arrott plot, whereas d = 3.98 is deduced by a critical isotherm analysis. The critical exponents suggest a long-range magnetic coupling with the exchange distance decaying as J(r) similar to r(-4.6). Furthermore, the magnetic entropy change - Delta S-M reaches a maximum value around T-C, i.e., - Delta S-M similar to 3.2(1.8) J kg(-1) K-1 with in-plane (out-of-plane) field change of 5 T, verifying large magnetic anisotropy. The rescaled - Delta SM(T, H) plots collapse onto a universal curve independent of temperature and field, confirming a second-order magnetic phase transition and reliability of the obtained critical exponents.

Automated summary

The critical properties and anisotropic magnetocaloric effect of hexagonal ferromagnet PrCrGe3 single crystals were studied, revealing a long-range magnetic coupling and large magnetic anisotropy. The obtained critical exponents suggest a second-order magnetic phase transition.