DOE OSTI2017
The practical applications of magnetocaloric materials for magnetic refrigeration require not only large magnitude but also reversibility, as well as room-temperature operating temperature, of the magneto caloric effect. However, it is a complex problem to simultaneously meet these demands in the Heusler-type Ni-(Co)-Mn-X (X = In, Sn, Sb, Ga) magnetic shape memory alloys which are a promising candidate for magnetocaloric materials, owing to the interdependence of magnetostructural transformation parameters. In this work, through synergic tuning of magnetostructural transformation parameters via alloying with Ti in Ni 42-x Ti x Co 9 Mn 39 Sn 10 alloys, we achieved a large reversible room-temperature magnetocaloric effect. By alloying with a proper amount of Ti, the martensitic transformation temperature was brought down to room temperature and the sensitivity of transformation temperature to magnetic field change was greatly enhanced with the transformation entropy change still remaining a large value, while the thermal hysteresis and the transformation interval only slightly increased. Thus, the field required to induce the complete and reversible transformation was significantly reduced. As a result, a large reversible room-temperature magnetic entropy change ΔS m of 18.7 J kg -1 K -1 under 5 T was achieved in the Ni 41 Ti 1 Co 9 Mn 39 Sn 10 alloy. This is the first report on reversibleΔS m in Ni-Mn-Sn-based Heusler alloys and the ΔS m we achieved represents the highest reversible ΔS m under 5 T reported heretofore in Ni-Mn-based Heusler alloys. Furthermore, the Ni 41 Ti 1 Co 9 Mn 39 Sn 10 alloy shows good compressive properties and stable martensitic transformation during thermal cycling, beneficial for potential magnetocaloric applications. This study is instructive for the development of high-performance magnetocaloric materials for room-temperature magnetic refrigeration.