Abstract
The composites (1 - x)La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/xZnO (LCMO/ZnO)(x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12) were fabricated by using a conventional solid state reaction method, and their electrical transport and magnetoresistance (MR) properties were investigated. The result of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) indicated that no new phase appeared in the composites, except the LCMO and ZnO phases. ZnO is mainly distributed at the grain boundaries and the surfaces of LCMO. The resistivity of all the composites was measured in the range of 90-320 K at 0 T, and 0.5 T magnetic fields. The results indicate that the resistivity of the composites increases systemically with increasing ZnO concentration and that the nonmagnetic ZnO phase also enhances the low field magnetoresistance (LFMR) value.