Improvement of low-field magnetoresistance and Curie temperature in the hole doping of double perovskites Sr2FeMoO6 polycrystals

Polycrystalline Sr2FeMoO6 compounds with most vacancies at normal Fe sites were fabricated through Mo hole doping; its effect is similar to Fe3+ by our estimation. Sharp increase of magnetoconductance at low field was evidence of spin-polarized tunneling between the grains. The room temperature low-field magnetoresistivity at optimal doping x=0.03 is 8.5% in 3000 Oe and increases to 11.4% in 1 T associated with soft magnetic behaviors; furthermore it exhibits a ferromagnetic Curie temperature of 450 K, connected with hole doping effect. The improved magnetoresistivity behavior was related to Curie temperature. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.