Giant and highly anisotropic magnetocaloric effects in single crystals of disordered-perovskite RCr(0.5)Fe(0.5)O(3) (R = Gd, Er)

Magnetic anisotropy is crucial in examining suitable materials for magnetic functionalities because it affects their magnetic characteristics. In this study, disordered-perovskite RCr(0.5)Fe(0.5)O(3) (R = Gd, Er) single crystals were synthesized and the influence of magnetic anisotropy and additional ordering of rare-earth moments on cryogenic magnetocaloric properties was investigated. Both GdCr(0.5)Fe(0.5)O(3) (GCFO) and ErCr(0.5)Fe(0.5)O(3) (ECFO) crystallize in an orthorhombic Pbnm structure with randomly distributed Cr(3+) and Fe(3+) ions. In GCFO, the long-range order of Gd(3+) moments emerges at a temperature of T(Gd) (the ordering temperature of Gd(3+) moments) = 12 K. The relatively isotropic nature of large Gd(3+) moment originating from zero orbital angular momentum exhibits giant and virtually isotropic magnetocaloric effect (MCE), with a maximum magnetic entropy change of [Formula: see text] ≈ 50.0 J/kg·K. In ECFO, the highly anisotropic magnetizations result in a large rotating MCE characterized by a rotating magnetic entropy change [Formula: see text] = 20.8 J/kg·K. These results indicate that a detailed understanding of magnetically anisotropic characteristics is the key for exploring improved functional properties in disordered perovskite oxides.