Magnetic and electrical transport properties of La0.65Ca0.30Pb0.05Mn0.90Cu0.10O3 compounds: Thermal hysteresis

Structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of La-0.65(Ca0.30Pb0.05)Mn0.90Cu0.10O3 compound were investigated. The compound, prepared by the sol-gel route, was pressed into pellets and one of them was sintered at 900 degrees C and the other at 1000 degrees C for 24 h. The aim of the study was to explore structural, electrical and magnetic properties of the compound. Temperature dependent X-ray powder diffraction studies on the sample sintered at 900 C reveal an orthorhombic-Pbnm perovskite structure through the temperature range between 320 K and 86 K. Scanning electron microcopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses showed grainy, homogeneous and stoichiometric structure. Magnetization and resistivity measurements reveal that the Curie temperatures, T-C, and insulator-metal transition temperatures, T-IM, coincide, but the samples sintered at 900 degrees C also exhibit thermal hysteresis both in magnetization and resistivity upon cooling and warming. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.