Magnetic, magnetocaloric and electrical transport properties of electron-doped manganite Eu<inf>0.15</inf>Ca<inf>0.85</inf>MnO<inf>3</inf>

In the present work, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Eu0.15Ca0.85MnO3 oxide have been studied. The sample crystallizes in orthorhombic crystal structure (space group Pnma, no. 62) at 300 K and undergoes a paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition at ~115 K (TN). The magnetization value at 5 K in field of 70 kOe is only 0.11 μB/f.u. Thermal hysteresis in low field magnetization data around TN suggests a first order transition. Metamagnetic behaviour is observed at temperatures immediately below TN. This suggests the presence of competing magnetic interactions. Isothermal magnetic entropy change is calculated from magnetization-field data and its maximum value is ~ +10 Jkg-1K-1 at 107.5 K for a field change of 70 kOe. Inverse magnetocaloric effect and the magnetic moment value in the ordered state reveal the robust antiferromagnetism in this manganite. In addition, the electrical resistivity shows semiconducting behaviour and increases strongly at low temperatures.