Direct and indirect measurement of the magnetocaloric effect in La0.67Ca0.33−xSrxMnO3 ± δ()

The magnetocaloric properties of a series of manganites with the composition La 0.67 Ca 0.33− x Sr x MnO 3 ± δ , (LCSM), have been investigated by direct and indirect measuring techniques. The compounds showed a magnetocaloric effect near the Curie temperature, which increased from 267 K for x = 0 to 369 K for x = 0.33. Both the adiabatic temperature change and the isothermal magnetic entropy change were found to decrease upon increased replacement of Ca with Sr, in good agreement with previous reports. However, all samples showed almost the same relative cooling power, RCP, because the decrease in maximum magnetocaloric effect was accompanied by a widening of the magnetocaloric peaks. The compounds showed RCP values of about 300 mJ cm −3 upon a field change of 1.2 T, which is about three times less than the RCP of gadolinium, the prototype material for magnetic cooling at ambient conditions. However, the LCSM materials show a magnetocaloric effect in temperature ranges where the magnetocaloric effect in pure Gd is vanishing. LCSM might therefore have potential as a working substance in multi-component refrigerant units, where the possibility of tailoring compounds with a specific magnetic transition temperature is essential.