Large Magnetostriction Effect In Bulk (La1-Xsmx)(2/3)Sr1/3mno3

A series of polycrystalline bulk (La1-xSmx)(2/3)Sr1/3MnO3 samples over a wide composition range (x=0,0.1,0.33,..., 1) was prepared by solid-phase reaction sintering technique. The x-ray diffraction pattern indicates that all the samples have an orthorhombically distorted perovskite structure. A large linear magnetostriction with a value up to -180x10(-6) was observed at the temperature of 77 K under the maximum magnetic field of 1.5 T. The linear magnetostriction and magnetoresistance effect of our samples has similar dependence on the Sm content x. At room temperature, the sample with a Curie temperature of 320 K, and a Sm content of x=0.33, shows both maximum linear magnetostriction value of -40x10(-6) and a maximum magnetoresistance value of -12%. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)24208-9].