Enhanced intergrain tunneling magnetoresistance in double perovskite Sr2FeMoO6 polycrystals with nanometer-scale particles

Abstract

Polycrystalline ordered double perovskite Sr2FeMoO6 bulk samples with grain size in the range of 29–45 nm have been synthesized at temperatures from 900 to 1000 °C, using a sol-gel method. We find that the intergrain magnetoresistance is closely correlated with the grain size. The sample with the grain size of 29 nm shows large magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ0, 30%–20% at a low magnetic field of 4 kG over a wide temperature range from 20 to 300 K. The results can be explained in terms of spin-dependent intergrain tunneling model.