Influence of negative lattice expansion and metamagnetic transition on magnetic entropy change in the compound LaFe11.4Si1.6

Feng Xia Hu*, Bao Gen Shen, Ji Rong Sun, Zhao Hua Cheng, Guang Hui Rao, Xi Xiang Zhang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1322 Scopus citations

Abstract

Magnetization of the compound LaFe11.4Si1.6 with the cubic NaZn13-type structure was measured as functions of temperature and magnetic field around its Curie temperature TC of ∼208 K. It is found that the magnetic phase transition at TC is completely reversible. Magnetic entropy change ΔS, allowing one to estimate the magnetocaloric effect, was determined based on the thermodynamic Maxwell relation. The achieved magnitude of |ΔS| reaches 19.4 J/kg K under a field of 5 T, which exceeds that of most other materials involving a reversible magnetic transition in the corresponding temperature range. The large entropy change is ascribed to the sharp change of magnetization, which is caused by a large negative lattice expansion at the TC. An asymmetrical broadening of |ΔS| peak with increasing field was observed, which is resulted from the field-induced itinerant-electron metamagnetic transition from the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic state above the TC.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3675-3677
Number of pages3
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume78
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 4 2001
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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