Functional LSMO foams for magneto-caloric applications

Abstract

The ferromagnetic La1−xSrxMnO3 (LSMO) manganites are ideal materials for magneto-caloric applications due to their high Curie temperature. Here, we prepare open-cell, porous LSMO foams starting from a commercial polyurethane (PU) foam and commercial LSMO powder with x = 0.3. The cut PU foams are then covered by a slurry of LSMO powder mixed with PVA and water, and then, the foams are subjected to a heat-treatment with two steps at 600 ◦C (burn-of organic material) and 1200 ◦C (sintering/compacting). The resulting ceramic LSMO foams are then characterized by X-ray, SEM, electron backscatter difraction (EBSD) orientation mapping and magnetic measurements. The foam sample consists of randomlyoriented LSMO grains with an average grain size of 188 nm, being distinctly smaller than bulk samples of the same composition, but considerably larger than LSMO nanowires prepared by electrospinning. The magnetic data reveal a high Curie temperature like the bulk samples, and an entropy change, −ΔSM slightly higher than that of the bulk samples, which points to a strong infuence of the LSMO grain size. Thus, the resulting LSMO foam material is well suited for magneto-caloric applications at room temperature.