Magnetocaloric Effect in Nanostructured $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Fe_{1-x}Co_{x}O_3$
This work presents a systematic study of the magnetocaloric effect in the nanostructured perovskite series $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Fe_{1-x}Co_{x}O_3$ (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, and 1.0), synthesized by a pore-wetting method using polymeric membranes with pore diameters of 200 nm and 800 nm. All samples were calcined at 1000°C. Structural characterization was made by X-ray diffraction and confirmed the formation of a single-phase perovskite with distorted rhombohedral symmetry, without detectable secondary phases. We observed significant influence of substitution of Fe by Co on the morphology, as the analysis by scanning electron microscopy revealed a clear evolution from smaller to larger particles and from thin to thicker nanotubes, as the Co content increased. Magnetic measurements showed that the cationic substitution enhances ferromagnetic coupling, increasing both the saturation magnetization (MS) and the Curie temperature (TC). The magnetocaloric properties, determined through the Maxwell relations, exhibit a maximum entropy change of 1.13 J/(kg K) under an applied field of 3 T for the sample with x = 1. These results demonstrate that the combination of Co doping and controlled nanostructuring effectively optimizes the magnetocaloric response.