Unconventional critical behavior near the phase transition temperature and magnetocaloric effect in La0.5Ca0.4Ag0.1MnO3 compound

Highlights: • The LCAMO compound was successfully prepared by sol-gel reaction method. • The variation of (M) vs. (T) reveals a ferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition around T_C. • The critical exponents (β and γ) for our sample are consistent with the prediction of the unconventional modified model. • Magnetocaloric effect of LCAMO was investigated. • Our sample can be used as a magnetic refrigerant at Curie temperature. The critical behavior associated with the magnetic phase transition has been investigated by magnetization isotherms in La_0.5Ca_0.4 Ag_0.1MnO₃ (LCAMO) powder. The X-ray diffraction characterization has revealed that this sample crystallized in the orthorhombic symmetry with Pnma space group. While the experimental results revealed that this sample underwent a paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition, the magnetic measurements data indicated that the compound exhibited a second-order phase transition. Furthermore, the critical exponents values were found as β = 0.79, γ = 0.71 and $\delta$ = 1.828 with T_C = 189.87 K. The relative cooling power of the sample was determined as 14.70 J/kg under a magnetic field of 1 T making it a potential working material in magnetic refrigeration.