Abstract
Structural analysis, magnetocaloric properties, and theoretical investigations of the magnetocaloric effect were carried out in the crystalline La0.7Ba0.15Ag0.15MnO3 manganite prepared using sol-gel route. The phase purity and structure of this sample were checked by X-ray diffraction technique and Rietveld analysis. From magnetic measurements, the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic (FM-PM) phase transition was observed around T-C = 255 K. The maximum change in magnetic entropy (increment SMmax) and relative cooling power (RCP) extracted from magnetic measurements were 3.48 J x kg-1 x K-1 and 225 J x kg-1 at an applied magnetic field of 5 T. These magnetocaloric parameters offer to the sample the possible use in the magnetic refrigeration technology. The magnetic entropy simulation by using different theories such as the Weiss molecular mean-field theory and the Landau theory shows good correlation between the theoretical values of- increment S-M(T) and the experimental ones estimated from Maxwell relation.