Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the nanocrystalline Pr0.7Ba0.2Ca0.1MnO3 sample

We have investigated the structural and magnetization properties of the nanocrystalline Pr0.7Ba0.2Ca0.1MnO3 sample, synthesized using the sol–gel method. The Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction pattern of the nanocrystalline sample (recorded at room temperature) confirmed the formation of the orthorhombic crystal structure with Pnma space group. The temperature dependent magnetization M(T) measurements suggested that the present sample undergoes a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition and the Curie temperature was found to be ∼ 126 K. The positive slopes observed from the Arrott plots for the present sample indicate the second order of magnetic phase transition, as per the Banerjee’s criterion. The maximum value of magnetic entropy change |ΔSMmax| and relative cooling power (RCP) were found to be ∼ 2.2 J kg-1K-1 and 261 Jkg-1 for a magnetic field change of 5 T. The phenomenological universal curve was constructed for the present sample and ΔSM curves were found to collapse into one, and the universal curve confirmed the second order of magnetic phase transition. The relatively large values of |ΔSM| and RCP make the present nanocrystalline compound promising for the magnetic refrigeration technology.