Preparation of submicron LaCaMnO submicron powder and LaCaMnO–alumina composites with CMR effects by a new method: Precursor sintering technique

We have successfully synthesized submicron LaCaMnO powder (with a nominal composition of La_0.67Ca_0.33MnO₃) and the LaCaMnO–Al₂O₃ composite powder by a newly invented precursor sintering technique. It is found that the precursor solution containing polyacrylamide and citric acid can facilitate the formation of LaCaMnO powders at a relatively lower sintering temperature because PAM and citric acid form a polymer network in the solution and the metal ions evenly distribute in the precursor solution. The critical sintering temperature was carefully studied based on X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy images. It turns out that a low-temperature sintering results in nano-sized powders with a particle size of 50–100 nm, but a high-temperature sintering leads to larger clusters of 1–3 μm. For the LaCaMnO–alumina composites system, secondary phases appear if the sintering temperature is relatively high (1200 °C). Magnetoresistance of the LaCaMnO wafer made from the obtained LaCaMnO powder has a maximum of 56.7% at 269 K. More appealing is that LaCaMnO–alumina composite powders have a very high MR, 82.5%, even in the same order of the MR of the epitaxial-grown LaCaMnO thin film. Besides, the advantages of the PST method include simple equipment, common chemical compounds and low-cost.