Anisotropic magnetocaloric effect in all-ferromagnetic (La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrRuO3) superlattices

We exploit the magnetic interlayer coupling in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrRuO3 superlattices to realize a crossover between inverse and conventional magnetic entropy changes. Our data reveal a strong anisotropic nature of the magnetocaloric effect due to the magnetic anisotropy of the superlattice. Therefore, artificial superlattices built from ferromagnetic materials that can be used to alter the magnetic structure as well as the magnetic anisotropy, could also be utilized for tuning the magnetocaloric properties, which may open a constructive approach for magnetic refrigeration applications. (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3488828]