Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of polycrystalline Pr[formula omitted]Ca[formula omitted]MnO[formula omitted] (x [formula omitted] 0.85, 0.90, 0.95) compounds: Emergence of large inverse and conventional magnetocaloric effects

Abstract

Magnetic and magnetocaloric effect have been investigated for the electron doped polycrystalline Pr1−xCaxMnO3 (x ∼ 0.85, 0.90, 0.95) compounds. The experimental outcomes indicate that the nature of the ground state is very much sensitive with the doping concentration. Pr0.15Ca0.85MnO3 compound exhibits antiferromagnetic ground state. In contrast to that ferromagnetic nature was found for the Pr0.10Ca0.90MnO3 and Pr0.05Ca0.95MnO3 compounds. Although, for x∼0.90 ferromagnetic phase was stable. However for x∼ 0.95, the ferromagnetic state is quite unstable. Additionally for the doping concentration x∼ 0.95, the anomalous nature was found in temperature dependent coercivity. Magnetocaloric effect study indicate that antiferromagnetic Pr0.15Ca0.85MnO3 compound exhibits large inverse magnetocaloric effect (10.5 J/kg-K at H = 70 kOe magnetic field). On the other hand, ferromagnetic Pr0.10Ca0.90MnO3 and Pr0.05Ca0.95MnO3 compounds show conventional magnetocaloric effect. The magnetocaloric entropy change for x∼0.90 compound is significantly large (7.5 J/kg-K at H = 70 kOe magnetic field) and comparable with the other reported magnetic refrigerant materials. Universal master curve for magnetic entropy change have been constructed for all the materials having inverse and conventional magnetocaloric effect by proper scaling of temperature axis.