AIP Advances (May 2016)
Wide temperature window of magnetostructural transition achieved in Mn0.4Fe0.6NiSi1−xGax by a two-step isostructural alloying process
Abstract
A new approach has been proposed in this work, which provides an effective way for tuning the structural transition in MM’X systems with relatively high transition temperature. With this method, a temperature window as wide as 275 K for the magnetostructural transition has been achieved in the MnNiSi alloy system. The maximum magnetic entropy change of the system is as high as 13.3 J/kgK, which, together with the large temperature window, enables the Mn0.4Fe0.6NiSi1−xGax system to be a promising candidate for magnetic refrigerant applications.