Wide structural and magnetic successive transitions and related magnetocaloric properties in a directionally solidified polycrystalline Ni-Co-Mn-In alloy

Abstract

We fabricated a Ni45Co6.4Mn37In11.6 polycrystalline sample with a specific texture by directional solidification. The alloy is characterized by wide successive structural and magnetic phase transitions that considerably extend their temperature intervals with the increase in the applied magnetic field. Under a magnetic field change μoΔH of 5 T, the working temperature window obtained from the magnetic entropy change curve for the structural and magnetic transition is as large as 66 and 52 K, respectively. As a result, the corresponding refrigeration capacity RC reached high values of 118 and 95 J kg−1, respectively, irrespective of the considerably small magnetic entropy changes.