Synthesis of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ at 800 °C using citrate gel method

Manganite systems have been of considerable interest in the recent past due to their potential to operate in wide property range and also to serve as effective magnetic sensing and storing devices when synthesized using stringent conditions. We report a novel citrate gel method, in which La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ system has been synthesized at temperature 800 °C (LSMO800) with the synthesis duration is 6 h. The results have been compared with the sample synthesized at 1050 °C (LSMO1050). The synthesized bulk polycrystalline sample shows single-phase nature with the increase in particle size from ∼50 nm to 300 nm with the increase in the sintering temperature. The magnetization data for LSMO800 shows well-defined hysteresis with saturation magnetization at around 1800 Oe and Curie temperature at 360 K, which is slightly lower than that of LSMO1050, which is 375 K. The results can be well attributed to the grain boundary effects.