Structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric studies of the potassium diphosphate KCrP2O7

Abstract

The structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric characteristics of potassium diphosphate KCrP2O7 were thoroughly investigated. A solid-state reaction method has been employed to synthesize this specimen. The crystalline structure was analysed employing X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), infrared, and Raman spectroscopy at around room temperature. Detailed Rietveld refinement analysis reveals that the compound adopts a complex monoclinic structure with the space group P21/c and the lattice parameters: a = 7.357Ǻ, b = 10.011 Ǻ, and c = 8.202 Ǻ. The Magnetic measurements exhibit an antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic behavior with a second order magnetic transition near the Néel temperature TN (TN = 8.5 K) for KCrP2O7. Magnetic entropy change (-∆SM) induced by the magnetic field, was determined by employing the thermodynamic Maxwell's relation. At H=50 kOe, the (-∆S M Max ) and RCP (magnetic refrigeration capacity) near T N show a value of 4.4 J.kg-1 .K-1 and 30.06 J.kg-1, respectively for the KCrP2O7 compound.