Heat capacity of a mixed-valence manganese oxide Pb3Mn7O15

We present the results of a heat capacity study of Pb3Mn7O15 single crystals with approximately equal concentrations of Mn3+ and Mn4+ ions. In the temperature interval between 210 and 260 K, an excess heat capacity of nonmagnetic origin, most likely associated with the process of charge localization, has been observed. Also, three pronounced anomalies corresponding to the changes in a magnetic subsystem of the crystal have been observed in the temperature dependence of the heat capacity. A broad hump near 150 K is related to the formation of a short-range magnetic order. This process of short-range ordering is rather prominent, considering the appreciable value of the entropy loss accompanying the change in the magnetic state. A clear lambda-shaped peak at 70 K marks the onset of a long-range antiferromagnetic order. Another anomalous contribution to the heat capacity of magnetic origin has been revealed at temperatures below 20 K. This contribution is associated with a magnetic transition of an unknown nature, which is also clearly evident in magnetization versus temperature curves. The total magnetic contribution to the entropy deduced from the actual experimental data over the entire temperature range is much smaller than is expected for a completely ordered Mn spin system in the crystal. We suggest several possible reasons that may account for this 'missing' entropy.