Field-induced magnetic phase transition in Pr3+ doped Sm0.5Sr0.5MnO3 manganites

Abstract

Magnetic properties of Pr3+ doped Sm0.5Sr0.5MnO3 manganite with the variation of particle size down to 30 nm have been investigated in detail. We have critically examined the magnetic field (H) dependence of the order of the ferromagnetic (FM) to paramagnetic (PM) phase transition in this Sm0.35Pr0.15Sr0.5MnO3 manganite. It has been shown that all the particle sizes (bulk to nano) exhibit first order FM → PM phase transition under low magnetic field accompanied by magnetization with thermal hysteresis in the field cooled cooling and warming cycle. However, the samples exhibit a second order magnetic phase transition above a critical field HCR. Again with decreasing the particle size, the ferromagnetic transition temperature, the thermal hysteresis width in the magnetizations, and the critical field HCR significantly decrease, which indicate that the ferromagnetism is weakened and the first-order magnetic phase transition is softened. We have also used the Banerjee criteria to distinguish the first-order magnetic phase transition from the second-order one. A detailed analysis of the magnetization measurements of this manganite reveal the disorder-induced softening of the first order phase transition in this phase separated manganite.