Structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric study of La0.7-xEuxSr0.3MnO3 (x=0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) manganites

This paper reports the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of La0.7-xEuxSr0.3MnO3 (x=0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) polycrystalline manganites elaborated using the solid-state reaction at high temperatures. The X-ray powder diffraction shows that all the prepared compounds are single phase. La0.6Eu0.1Sr0.3MnO3 is crystallized in the rhombohedral symmetry, whereas a structural transition towards orthorhombic system is observed for x >= 0.2. Eu doping was found to induce a decrease of the Curie temperature Tc from 343 K (x=0.1) to 272 K (x=0.3). All compounds undergo a large magnetocaloric effect and have consequently potential applications in magnetic refrigeration domain around room temperature. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.