Structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of R2NiMnO6 (R = Eu, Gd, Tb)

The crystal structure, cryogenic magnetic properties, and magnetocaloric performance of double perovskite Eu 2 NiMnO 6 (ENMO), Gd 2 NiMnO 6 (GNMO), and Tb 2 NiMnO 6 (TNMO) ceramic powder samples synthesized by solid-state method have been investigated. X-ray diffraction structural investigation reveal that all compounds crystallize in the monoclinic structure with a P2 1 /n space group. A ferromagnetic to paramagnetic (FM-PM) second-order phase transition occurred in ENMO, GNMO, and TNMO at 143, 130, and 112 K, respectively. Maximum magnetic entropy changes and relative cooling power with a 5 T applied magnetic field are determined to be 3.2, 3.8, 3.5 J/kgK and 150, 182, 176 J/kg for the investigated samples, respectively. The change in structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric effect attributed to the superexchange mechanism of Ni 2+ –O–Mn 3+ and Ni 2+ –O–Mn 4+ . The various atomic sizes of Eu, Gd, and Tb affect the ratio of Mn 4+ /Mn 3+ , which is responsible for the considerable change in properties of double perovskite.