Abstract:

As a colossal magnetoresistance material, the perovskite manganese oxide La_1–xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO) has broad application prospects in magnetic sensors and other fields. However, it is difficult to obtain a significant colossal magnetoresistance effect at a low magnetic field at room temperature. To improve its magnetoresistance effect and transition temperature, La_0.8Sr_0.2Mn_1–xAl_xO₃ (0≤x≤0.25) (LSMAO) polycrystalline samples were prepared by traditional solid-state reaction method in present work. Effects of Al³⁺ doping on the electrical transport property and magnetoresistance of LSMO were systematically analyzed. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that all samples crystallize in a single rhombohedral structure with the space group of $\text{R}\bar{3}\text{C}$. Result of electrical transport property shows that resistivity of the samples increases exponentially with the increment of Al³⁺ doping amount, and the metal-insulator transition temperature is increased by an external magnetic field. This phenomenon may be attributed to dilution of the Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ ions network by Al³⁺, which increases the magnetic disorder but reduces the number of carriers. In addition, the conduction mechanism of LSMAO ceramics change from the small polaron hopping model (SPH) to the variable range hopping model (VRH) after doping of Al³⁺, reflecting that the non-magnetic Al³⁺ weakens the carrier exchange between the ferromagnetic clusters. As a result, the thermally activated neighbor transition of small polarons is suppressed. Magnetoresistance effect of LSMAO is enhanced from 21.03% to 59.71% with x increasing from 0 to 0.25, which proves that the doping of Al³⁺can effectively enhance the magnetoresistance effect of LSMAO.

Key words: electrical transport, small polaron hopping model, variable range hopping model, magnetoresistance effect