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Reduction of hysteresis losses in the magnetic refrigerant Gd5Ge2Si2 by the addition of iron

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An Erratum to this article was published on 26 May 2005

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 12 August 2004

Abstract

The magnetocaloric effect is the change in temperature of a material as a result of the alignment of its magnetic spins that occurs on exposure to an external magnetic field. The phenomenon forms the basis for magnetic refrigeration, a concept purported to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than conventional refrigeration systems1,2,3,4,5. In 1997, a ‘giant’ magnetocaloric effect, between 270 K and 300 K, was reported in Gd5Ge2Si2, demonstrating its potential as a near-room-temperature magnetic refrigerant6,7,8. However, large hysteretic losses (which make magnetic refrigeration less efficient) occur in the same temperature range8,9. Here we report the reduction (by more than 90 per cent) of these hysteretic losses by alloying the compound with a small amount of iron. This has the additional benefit of shifting the magnetic entropy change peak (a measure of the refrigerator's optimal operating temperature) from 275 K to 305 K, and broadening its width. Although the addition of iron does not significantly affect the refrigerant capacity of the material, a greater net capacity is obtained for the iron-containing alloy when the hysteresis losses are accounted for. The iron-containing alloy is thus a much-improved magnetic refrigerant for near-room-temperature applications.

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Figure 1: X-ray diffraction spectra and SEM micrographs of the two alloys.
Figure 2: Magnetization versus field curves.
Figure 3: Comparison of hysteresis losses.
Figure 4: Computed ΔSm and RC values.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. We thank R. Waterstrat and R. Drew for technical assistance, and M. Lufaso and R. D. McMichael for helpful discussions.

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  1. Virgil Provenzano, Alexander J. Shapiro and Robert D. Shull: These authors contributed equally to this work

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  1. Magnetic Materials Group, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, MS-8552, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, USA

    Virgil Provenzano & Alexander J. Shapiro

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  1. Virgil Provenzano
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Correspondence to Virgil Provenzano.

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Provenzano, V., Shapiro, A. & Shull, R. Reduction of hysteresis losses in the magnetic refrigerant Gd5Ge2Si2 by the addition of iron. Nature 429, 853–857 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02657

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