Effect of Co substitution on magnetic properties and magnetic entropy changes in LaFe11.83Si0.94Al0.23 compounds

Effect of Co substitution on magnetic properties and magnetic entropy changes in LaFe_{11.83}Si_{0.94}Al_{0.23} compounds has been investigated by means of magnetization measurements. X-ray diffraction shows the prepared compounds to be single phase with the cubic NaZn_{13}-type structure. Substitution of Co for Fe leads to an increase of Curie temperature of the material. The magnetic entropy changes in LaFe_{11.83}Si_{0.94}Al_{0.23} and LaFe_{11.03}Co_{0.80}Si_{0.94}Al_{0.23} compounds are 21.8J/(kg·K) to 16.9J/(kg·K) under a magnetic field change of 0－5T at Curie temperature, respectively. Giant magnetic entropy changes are attributed to the higher magnetization and the rapid change in magnetization at Curie temperature.     

Large magnetic entropy change and magnetic properties in La （Fel－xMnx）ll.TSil.3Hy compounds

Magnetic properties and magnetic entropy change in La(Fe_{1-x}Mn_x)_{11.7}Si_{1.3}H_y compounds have been investigated. A significant increase of the Curie temperature T_C and a small increase of the saturation magnetizations μ_S have been observed after the introduction of interstitial H, which caused a slight volume expansion. The first-order field-induced itinerant-electron metamagnetic (IEM) transition remains and brings about a large magnetic entropy change around room temperatures for the compounds. The maximal magnetic entropy change is about 23.4, 17.7 and 15.9J/kg·K under a magnetic field change from 0 to 5T for x=0.01, 0.02 and 0.03, respectively. Therefore, the compounds appear to be potential candidates for magnetic refrigerants around room temperatures.     

Study of nanocrystalline Fe－Al－N soft magnetic thin films

Fe－Al－N films were fabricated by reactive sputtering using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The effects of Al and N content and annealing temperature on microstructure and magnetic properties were investigated. The Fe－Al－N films, which have good soft magnetic properties, consist of nanocrystalline α-Fe grains and a small amount of other phases in the boundaries of α-Fe grains. The average α-Fe grain size is about 10－15nm. A slight amount of Fe－N and Al－N compounds precipitate in the boundaries of α-Fe grains and suppress their growth. Annealing improves the soft magnetic properties slightly by releasing the residual stress and reducing defects.     

Magnetic properties and magnetoresistance of HfFe2Ge2-type Dy1-xGdxMn6Ge6 (x=0.1－0.6) compounds

The magnetic properties and magnetoresistance effects of Dy_{1-x}Gd_xMn_6Ge_6 (x=0.1－0.6) compounds have been studied by magnetic properties and resistivity measurements in applied magnetic fields up to 5T. The compounds with x=0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.5 order antiferromagnetically at 425, 428, 430 and 432K, respectively, and there are second magnetic phase transitions below 100K. The compound with x=0.6 exhibits a transition from ferrimagnetic to antiferromagnetic, then to ferrimagnetic state again with decreasing temperature. Furthermore, it displays a field-induced metamagnetic transition, and its threshold field decreases with increasing temperature. The magnetoresistance curve of the compound with x=0.6 in applied magnetic fields up to 5T is presented and the magnetoresistance effects are related to the metamagnetic transitions.     

Magnetic entropy change and magnetic phase transition of LaFe11.4Al1.6Cx （x=0-0.8） compounds

The unit cell volume and phase transition temperature of LaFe11.4Al1.6Cx compounds have been studied. The magnetic entropy change, refrigerant capacity and the type of magnetic phase transition are investigated in detail for LaFe11.4Al1.6Cx with x=0.1, All the LaFe11.4Al1.6Cx （x=0-0.8） compounds have the cubic NaZn13-type structure. The addition of carbon atoms brings about a considerable increase in the lattice parameter. The bulk expansion results in the change of phase transition temperature （Tc）, Tc increases from 187K to 269 K with x varying from 0.1 to 0.8, Meanwhile an increase in the lattice parameter can also cause a change of the magnetic ground state from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic. Large magnetic entropy change IASI is found over a large temperature range around Tc and the refrigerant capacity is about 322J/kg for LaFe11.4Al1.6C0.1. The magnetic phase transition belongs in weakly first-order one for x=0.1.     

Magnetism and magnetic entropy change in LaFe11Al2Cx compounds around room temperature

Magnetism and magnetic entropy changes in LaFe11A12Cx(x=0.0, 0.2 and 0.5) compounds have been investigated.The Curie temperature TC is conveniently controlled from 200K to room temperature by varying the carbon concentration.Large magnetic entropy change is obtained over a wide temperature range due to the high magnetization and the drastic decrease in the magnetization around TC.The large magnetic entropy change in wide temperature range,low cost and the convenience of controlling TC suggest that the LaFe11Al2Cx compounds are promising candidates for magnetic refrigerants in the corresponding temperature range.     

A method based on magnetic moment measurement to identify the structural transition of quenched Fe1-xGax（x=0.15-0.30） alloys

A method based on the measurement of Fe average atomic magnetic moment to identify the structural transition caused by the increase of Ga content in quenched Fe 1-x Ga x alloys (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 0.30) is proposed.The quenched Fe 1-x Ga x alloys show a change of the Fe average atomic magnetic moment from 2.25μ B to 1.78μ B and then to 1.58μ B,which corresponds to the structural transition from A2 to D0 3 and then to B2.The relationship between the structure and the magnetostriction is clarified,and the maximum magnetostriction appears in the A2 phase.The variation tendency of the magnetostriction is well characterized,which also reflects the structural transition.     

Magnetic properties of Nd0.5Pb0.5—xSrxMnO3 materials

The structure and magnetic properties of Nd_{0.5}Pb_{0.5-x}Sr_xMnO_3 (0≤x≤0.4) manganites were systematically investigated. Significant changes in Curie temperature and metal-insulator (MI) transition temperature of the samples were observed. All samples exhibited a transition from paramagnetic semiconducting to ferromagnetic metallic state. Curie temperature T_C and the MI transition temperature T_p increased with increasing Sr content. We attributed these behaviours to the enhancing of both the double exchange mechanism and the Jahn－Teller electron－phonon coupling.     

Structure,magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of Fe50Mn15−x Co x Ni35 alloys

Fe50Mn15-xCoxNi35(x=0,1,3,5,7)alloys were prepared by arc melting under purified argon atmosphere.The ingots were homogenized at 930°C for 90h followed by water quenching.The crystal structure,magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of the alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and MPMS-7-type SQUID.The results show that all samples still maintained a single-(Fe,Ni)-type phase structure.With the increase of the content of Co,the Curie temperatures of these alloys increased and exhibited a second-order magnetic transition from ferromagnetic(FM)to paramagnetic(PM)state near Curie temperature.The maximum magnetic entropy change and the relative cooling power of Fe50Mn10Co5Ni35alloy was 2.55 J/kg·K and 181 J/kg,respectively,for an external field change of 5T.Compared with rare earth metal Gd,Fe50Mn15-xCoxNi35 series of alloys have obvious advantage in resource price;their Curie temperatures can be tuned to near room temperature,maintain a relatively large magnetic entropy change at the same time and they are a type of potential magnetic refrigeration materials near room temperature.     

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect of the Cr-based spinel sulfides Co_(1-x)Cu_xCr_2S_4

Crystallographic structure, magnetic properties, and magnetic entropy change of the Cr-based spinel sulfides Co_(1-x)Cu_xCr_2S_4(x = 0–0.8) have been investigated. All these compounds crystallize into the cubic spinel structure, the Cu substitution shrinks linearly the lattice constant at a ratio of 0.0223 per Cu atom in the unit cell, and enhances linearly the Curie temperature and the spontaneous magnetization at the rates of 18K and 0.33 μB/f.u. per Cu atom in the unit cell,respectively. All these compounds show a typical behavior of second order magnetic transition, and a room temperature magnetic entropy change of 2.57 J/kg·K is achieved for Co_(0.4)Cu_(0.6)Cr_2S_4.     

Change in the magnetic ground state of LaFe11.4Al1.6 compound by the substitution of Mn for Fe

The structure and magnetic properties of La(Fe_{1-x}Mn_x)_{11.4}Al_{1.6} (0≤x≤0.25)compounds have been studied. The NaZn_{13}-type structure is preserved and the lattice parameter increases linearly with increasing the Mn concentration. The magnetic ground state changes from the antiferromagnetic to the spin-glass or the cluster-glass state by the substitution of Mn for Fe. Furthermore, a field-induced transition from cluster glass to ferromagnet is found for the samples with x=0.05 and 0.10.     

The anisotropy of Gd－Fe exchange interaction for Gd2Fe17 and Gd2Fe17H3

The magnetization curves along the crystal axes for Gd_2Fe_{17} and Gd_2Fe_{17}H_3 were analysed based on the single-ion model. If the Gd－Fe exchange interaction has been taken as isotropic as usual, the fitted values of magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the Fe sublattices in Gd_2Fe_{17} and Gd_2Fe_{17}H_3 would become unreasonably different from those of the corresponding Y or Lu compounds. It was shown that the large difference is caused by the neglect of the anisotropy of the Gd－Fe exchange interaction.     

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect in NdxLa1-xFe11.5Al1.5 compounds

Effects of Nd-doping on the magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects （MCEs） of NdxLa1-xFe11.5Al1.5 have been investigated. Substitution of Nd leads to a weakening of the antiferromagnetic （AFM） coupling and an enhancement of the ferromagnetic （FM） coupling. This in turn results in a complex magnetic behaviour for Nd0.2La0.8Fe11.5Al1.5 characterized by the occurrence of two phase transitions at ～188 K （PM AFM） and ～159 K （AFM-FM）. As a result, a table-like MCE （9 J/kg.K） is found in a wide temperature range （160-185 K） for a field change of 0-5T around the transition temperature, as evidenced by both the magnetic and calorimetric measurements. Based on the analysis of low-temperature heat capacity, it is found that the AFM-FM phase transition modifies the electron density significantly, and the major contribution to the entropy change comes from the electronic entropy change.     

Giant magnetocaloric effect in Tb5Ge2-xSi2-xMn2x compounds

The crystal structure,magnetic and magnetocaloric characteristics of the pseduo ternary compounds of Tb5Ge2 xSi2 xMn2x(0 ≤ 2x ≤ 0.1) were investigated by x-ray powder diffraction and magnetization measurements.The x-ray powder diffraction results show that all compounds preserve the monoclinic phase as the majority phase and all the synthesized compounds were observed to be ferromagnetic from magnetization measurements.Magnetic phase transitions were interpreted in terms of Landau theory.Maximum isothermal magnetic entropy change value(20.84 J.kg-1.K-1) was found for Tb5Ge1.95Si1.95Mn0.1 at around 123 K in the magnetic field change of 5 T.     

Magnetocaloric and barocaloric effects in a Gd5Si2Ge2 compound

The first-order phase transition in Gd5Si2Ge2 is sensitive to both magnetic field and pressure.It may indicate that the influences of the magnetic field and the pressure on the phase transition are virtually equivalent.Moreover,theoretical analyses reveal that the total entropy change is almost definite at a certain Curie temperature no matter whether the applied external field is a magnetic field or a pressure.The entropy change curve can be broadened dramatically under pressure,and the refrigerant capacity is improved from 284.7 J/kg to 447.0 J/kg.     

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of Nd（Mn1-xFex）2Si2 compounds

X-ray powder diffraction,resistivity and magnetization studies have been performed on polycrystalline Nd(FexMn1-x)2Si2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) compounds which crystallize in a ThCr2Si2-type structure with the space group I4/mmm.The field-cooled temperature dependence of the magnetization curves shows that,at low temperatures,NdFe2Si2 is antiferromagnetic,while the other compounds show ferromagnetic behaviour.The substitution of Fe for Mn leads to a decrease in lattice parameters a,c and unit-cell volume V .The Curie temperature of the compounds first increases,reaches a maximum around x = 0.7,then decreases with Fe content.However,the saturation magnetization decreases monotonically with increasing Fe content.This Fe concentration dependent magnetization of Nd(FexMn1-x)2Si2 compounds can be well explained by taking into account the complex effect on magnetic properties due to the substitution of Mn by Fe.The temperature’s square dependence on electrical resistivity indicates that the curve of Nd(Fe0.6Mn0.4)2Si2 has a quasi-linear character above its Curie temperature,which is typical of simple metals.     

Phase transitions and magnetocaloric effects in intermetallic compounds MnFeX（X=P,As,Si,Ge）

Since the discovery of giant magnetocaloric effect in MnFeP1-x As x compounds,much valuable work has been performed to develop and improve Fe2P-type transition-metal-based magnetic refrigerants.In this article,the recent progress of our studies on fundamental aspects of theoretical considerations and experimental techniques,effects of atomic substitution on the magnetism and magnetocalorics of Fe2P-type intermetallic compounds MnFeX(X=P,As,Ge,Si) is reviewed.Substituting Si(or Ge) for As leads to an As-free new magnetic material MnFeP1-xSi(Ge)x.These new materials show large magnetocaloric effects resembling MnFe(P,As) near room temperature.Some new physical phenomena,such as huge thermal hysteresis and ’virgin’ effect,were found in new materials.On the basis of Landau theory,a theoretical model was developed for studying the mechanism of phase transition in these materials.Our studies reveal that MnFe(P,Si) compound is a very promising material for room-temperature magnetic refrigeration and thermo-magnetic power generation.     

Effects of the Mn/Co ratio on the magnetic transition and magnetocaloric properties of Mn1+xCo1-xGe alloys

We have investigated the magnetic transition and magnetocaloric effects of Mn 1+x Co 1 x Ge alloys by tuning the ratio of Mn/Co.With increasing Mn content,a series of first-order magnetostructural transitions from ferromagnetic to paramagnetic states with large changes of magnetization are observed at room temperature.Further increasing the content of Mn (x=0.11) gives rise to a single second-order magnetic transition.Interestingly,large low-field magnetic entropy changes with almost zero magnetic hysteresis are observed in these alloys.The effects of Mn/Co ratio on magnetic transition and magnetocaloric effects are discussed in this paper.     

Magnetic properties and in compound magnetocaloric effect PrFe12B6

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect of compound PrFe12B6 are investigated. The coexistence of hard phase PrFe12B6 and soft phase α-Fe causes interesting phenomena on the curves for the temperature dependence of magnetization. PrFe12B6 experiences a first order phase transition at the Curie temperature 206 K, accompanied by an obvious lattice contraction, which in turn results in a large magnetic entropy change. The Maxwell relation fails to give the correct information about magnetic entropy change due to the first order phase transition nature. The large magnetic entropy changes of PrFe12.3B4.7 obtained from heat capacity method are 11.7 and 16.2 J/kg.K for magnetic field changes of 0-2 T and 0-5 T respectively.     

Magnetotransport properties and magnetocaloric effects of Mn1.95Cr0.05Sb0.95Ga0.05 compound

The magnetotransport properties and magnetocaloric effects of the compound Mn_{1.95}Cr_{0.05}Sb_{0.95}Ga_{0.05} have been studied. With decreasing temperature, a spontaneous first-order magnetic phase transition from ferrimagnetic (FI) to antiferromagnetic (AF) state takes place at T_s=200K. A metamagnetic transition from the AF to FI state can be induced by an external field, accompanied by a giant magnetoresistance effect of 57%. The magnetic entropy changes are determined from the temperature and field dependence of the magnetization using the thermodynamic Maxwell relation. Mn_{1.95}Cr_{0.05}Sb_{0.95}Ga_{0.05} exhibits a negative magnetocaloric effect, and the absolute values of ΔS_M^{max}(T,ΔH) are 4.4, 4.1, 3.6, 2.8 and 1.5 J/(kg·K) for magnetic field changes of 0－5T, 0－4T, 0－3T, 0－2T and 0－1T, respectively.