Structural, Morphological, and Magnetocaloric Properties of Nanocrystalline Pr0.7La0.3MnO3

The structural, morphological, and magnetocaloric properties of nanocrystalline Pr0.7La0.3MnO3 (PLMO), synthesized by using a wet chemical Sol-gel method, have been investigated. The single-phase nature of nanocrystalline PLMO with orthorhombic crystal structure along with the Pbnm space group was confirmed by Rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction pattern. The average crystallite size and lattice microstrain were determined using the Williamson-Hall technique, and they were found to be & SIM;28 nm and & SIM;0.00137, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy shows the particle size and structural characteristics of the sample. Temperature-dependent magnetization data show paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition. According to Banerjee criterion, the positive slope of Arrott's plot for nanocrystalline PLMO indicates the second-order magnetic phase transition. In a 5 T external magnetic field, the maximum magnetic entropy change was found to be 2.47 J kg K-1. The refrigerant capacity and relative cooling power were calculated and the values are 193.3 J kg(-1) and 277.57 J kg(-1), respectively, under a 5 T applied external magnetic field.

Automated summary

The structural, morphological, and magnetocaloric properties of nanocrystalline Pr0.7La0.3MnO3 (PLMO) synthesized through wet chemical Sol-gel method have been studied. The nanocrystalline PLMO was confirmed to have a single-phase nature with an orthorhombic crystal structure and Pbnm space group through Rietveld analysis. The size and microstrain of the crystallites were determined to be approximately 28 nm and 0.00137, respectively, using the Williamson-Hall technique. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the particle size and structural characteristics of the sample. The temperature-dependent magnetization data indicated a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition, and the Arrott's plot for nanocrystalline PLMO showed a positive slope, indicating a second-order magnetic phase transition. The maximum magnetic entropy change was found to be 2.47 J kg K-1 under a 5 T external magnetic field. The refrigerant capacity and relative cooling power were calculated as 193.3 J kg(-1) and 277.57 J kg(-1), respectively, under a 5 T applied external magnetic field.