A new method of increasing thermopower in doped manganites

Abstract

Thermopower, magnetothermopower, resistivity, magnetoresistance, and magnetization of singlecrystalline samples of the Sm_1–xSr_xMnO₃ system (x = 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3) have been experimentally studied. These compositions consist of ferromagnetic clusters of the ferron type dispersed in the A-type antiferromagnetic matrix. Colossal thermo- and negative magnetothermopower values reaching 94.5% in a composition with x = 0.3 in the region of Curie point T_C in a magnetic field of 1.323 T. This result implies that thermopower is mostly related to ferron-type clusters, since their breakage under the action of magnetic field or heating above T_C leads to a sharp decrease in thermopower values. These results imply that thermopower in doped manganite semiconductors is determined by the concentration of impurity and volume of a sample.