Magnetotransport of La0.70Ca0.3−xSrxMnO3(Ag): A potential room temperature bolometer and magnetic sensor

Abstract

Here we report the optimized magnetotransport properties of polycrystalline La0.70Ca0.3−xSrxMnO3 and their composites with Ag. The optimization was carried out by varying the Sr and Ag contents simultaneously to achieve large temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) as well as low field magnetoresistance (MR) at room temperature. Sharpest paramagnetic (PM)-ferromagnetic (FM) and insulator-metal (IM) transition is observed in the vicinity of the room temperature (TC≈300 K≈TIM) for the composition La0.70Ca0.20Sr0.10MnO3:Ag0.20. Partial substitution of larger Sr2+ ions at the Ca2+ ions sites controls the magnitude of the FM and IM transition temperatures, while the Ag induces the desired sharpness in these transitions. For the optimized composition, maximum TCR and MR are tuned to room temperature (300 K) with the former being as high as 9% and the later being ∼20% and ∼30% at 5 and 10 kOe magnetic fields respectively. Such sharp single peak (TCR∼9%) at room temperature can be used for the bolometric and infrared detector applications. The achievement of large TCR and low field MR at T∼300 K in polycrystalline samples is encouraging and we believe that further improvements can be achieved in thin films which by virtue of their low conduction noise are more suitable for device applications.