Influence of CoO Phase on Structural, Magnetic and Electrical Properties of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3

The composites of (1-x)La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/xCoO and (1-x)La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/xCoO (x =0 ~ 0.09) were fabricated by conventional solid state reaction method, and their electrical transport and magnetoresistance (MR%) properties were investigated by physical property measurement system (PPMS). The result of x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) indicated that no new phase appeared in the composites except manganites matrix and CoO phases. CoO is mainly distributed at the grain boundaries and surfaces of the matrix. The resistivity LCMO and LSMO based composites were measured in the range 90-320K and 90-400K, respectively. The applied magnetic field is 0T and 0.5T. The observed variation of MR with varying Ca and Sr concentration has been qualitatively investigated.