Synthesis and magnetic properties of calcium and barium manganites: Evaluation of their application potential

Abstract

Antiferromagnetic perovskite-based manganite materials are emerging as leading candidates for next-generation magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) and spintronic devices, due to their highly tunable magnetic properties. In this study, Ca1−xSrxMnO3 (CSMO) and Ba1−xSrxMnO3 (BSMO) materials with Sr substitution in the amount of x = 0, 0.3, and 0.5 were successfully synthesized using citrate-nitrate autocombustion and coprecipitation methods. Magnetic characterization revealed canted antiferromagnetic behavior across all compositions and synthesis methods. CSMO samples exhibited an increase in Néel temperature (TN) with Sr substitution from 122 to 176 K, most notably in coprecipitated samples, along with evidence of secondary magnetic transitions above room temperature. In contrast, BSMO samples exhibited lower TN (∼43 K) and a secondary magnetic transition around 265 K, showing the long-range magnetic ordering. Hysteresis measurements confirmed a spin-canted state, while the coercivity and remanent magnetization varied depending on the composition and the synthesis route. Baseline magnetic property requirements for MRAM and spintronic applications were extracted from the literature to contextualize the results. Within this framework, the analysis indicates that Sr-substituted CSMO samples prepared by coprecipitation and Sr-substituted BSMO samples prepared by autocombustion exhibit promising magnetic properties for such applications. These results show the importance of optimizing materials for advanced memory and antiferromagnetic spintronic technologies.