Magnetocaloric properties of La0.6Ca0.4MnO3

A theoretic work on magnetocaloric properties of the polycrystalline La_0.6Ca_0.4MnO₃ system near a second-order phase transition from a ferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state is presented. The value of the magnetocaloric effect has been determined from the calculation of magnetization as a function of temperature under different external magnetic field shifts. The magnetic entropy change ?S _M reaches a peak of about 3 J kg^?1 K^?1 at 266 K upon 1.60 KA/m applied field variation. The ?S _M distribution is much more uniform than that of gadolinium, which is desirable for an Ericson-cycle magnetic refrigerator, which is beneficial for the household application of active magnetic refrigerant materials.