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Investigating the Magnetocaloric Properties of Magnetically Frustrated Delafossite: AgCrO2

  • Topical Collection: Advanced Materials for Energy Generation and Storage
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Abstract

The magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of a noncollinear Heisenberg triangular lattice antiferromagnet AgCrO2, synthesized by a hydrothermal method have been investigated. The sample crystallizes into a rhombohedral structure. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic measurements reveal that the stoichiometry of the sample is commensurate with the nominal composition. Temperature-dependent magnetization measurements indicate a paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase transition at TN ~ 21 K. Arrott plots specify that the nature of magnetic transition is first order. Moreover, the system exhibits short-range magnetic fluctuations in the temperature range TN < T < 125 K and obeys the Curie–Weiss law above 125 K with a frustration index of 7.74. Furthermore, the calculated positive isothermal magnetic entropy change (ΔSm) shows nonmonotonic temperature dependence and exhibits a peak at TN. For an external field change of 70 kOe, the obtained magnetic entropy change, relative cooling power and temperature averaged entropy change are 0.067 J kg−1 K−1, 0.586 J kg−1 and 0.050 J kg−1 K−1, respectively. The reported values can be attributed to its stable helical spin-spiral ground state structure as well as transition to a low-symmetry structure that acts as a pathway to release the frustration.

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Data Availability

The data supporting our claims in this study are available with the corresponding author and can be availed upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the XRD facility at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) setup with support from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) (Project No. 31/03/2014-15/PVSE-R&D), Government of India. The authors thank SRMIST for use of the High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (HR-SEM) facility, and also the Nanotechnology Research Center (NRC), SRMIST, for providing the research facilities. The authors acknowledge the University Grants Commission–Department of Atomic Energy–Consortium for Scientific Research (UGC-DAE-CSR) node at Kokilamedu for providing access to VSM facility.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 603203, India

    Kowsalya Murugan, Prakash Govindaraj & Kathirvel Venugopal

  2. Low Temperature Studies Section, Condensed Matter Physics Division, Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, 603102, India

    A. T. Sathyanarayana & Awadhesh Mani

  3. Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, 400094, India

    A. T. Sathyanarayana & Awadhesh Mani

  4. Department of Physics, School of Science and Humanities, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 600062, India

    S. Paulraj

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  1. Kowsalya Murugan
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Contributions

KM: Investigation, data curation, writing—original draft. ATS: investigation, methodology. PG: formal analysis, visualization. SP: validation, methodology. AM: validation, resources. KV: supervision, resources, conceptualization, methodology.

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Correspondence to S. Paulraj or Kathirvel Venugopal.

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Murugan, K., Sathyanarayana, A.T., Govindaraj, P. et al. Investigating the Magnetocaloric Properties of Magnetically Frustrated Delafossite: AgCrO2. J. Electron. Mater. 52, 1652–1661 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-022-10014-0

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