Influence of Chromium Doping on Electrical and Magnetic Behavior of Nd 0.5 Sr 0.5 MnO 3 System

With a view to understand the influence of chromium doping at the Mn site on the electrical and magnetic behavior of the Nd 0.5 Sr 0.5 MnO 3 manganite system, a series of samples were prepared by the citrate sol–gel route method. The samples were characterized structurally by XRD. A systematic investigation of electrical resistivity over a temperature range 5–300 K was carried out mainly to understand the magneto-transport behavior in these materials. Studies on the variation of magnetization with temperature over a temperature range 80–330 K were undertaken. Investigation of magnetization at different magnetic fields at two different temperatures, viz. 80 and 300 K, was also carried out. The results show that chromium doping gave typical electrical and magnetic properties. It has been concluded that the coexistence of charge ordered and ferromagnetic phases induced by chromium doping plays an important role in the low-temperature behavior of the system.