Effect of trivalent rare earth doping on magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Pr0.5(Ce,Eu,Y)0.1Sr0.4MnO3 manganites

Experimental studies of the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the three compounds Pr0.5X0.1Sr0.4MnO3 (X = Ce, Eu and Y) are reported. Our samples were synthesized using the Pechini sol–gel method. X-ray powder diffraction at room temperature indicates that our materials crystallize in the orthorhombic structure with Pbnm space group. The compounds undergo a second-order magnetic transition from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic state around their own Curie temperatures TC ~ 310, 270 and 230 K for X = Ce, Eu and Y, respectively. A considerable magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is observed around room temperature. The maximum values of magnetic entropy change ∆Smax are 3.54, 3.81 and 2.99 J/kgK for the samples with X = Ce, Eu and Y, respectively, when a magnetic field of 5 T was applied. The relative cooling power (RCP) values for the corresponding materials are 246.60, 261.66 and 298 J/kg. It is shown that for Pr0.5X0.1Sr0.4MnO3 the exponent n and the magnetic entropy change follow a master curve behavior. With the universal scaling curve, the experimental ∆S at several temperatures and fields can be extrapolated.