Magnetic transition and magnetocaloric effect of R5(Si, Sn)3 (R = Pr, Nd) alloys

Abstract

The magnetic transition and magnetocaloric effect of R5(Si, Sn)3 (R = Pr, Nd) alloys have been investigated. The single phase with Cr5B3-type tetragonal structure is observed for x(y) ≤ 1 in Pr5Si3-xSnx and Nd5Si3-ySny alloys. The magnetic phase transition temperature of these alloys is elevated with increased the substitution amount. All phase transitions in these alloys are of second-order nature undergoing low-temperature ferromagnetism to high-temperature paramagnetism. For the field change of 7 T, the maximum of entropy change (− ΔSMmax) of 7.0 J/kgK and 4.4 J/kgK have been achieved in Pr5Si2Sn and Nd5Si2Sn alloys compared with 12.1 J/kgK and 4.3 J/kgK in Pr5Si3 and Nd5Si3 alloys. The relative cooling power (RCP) is enhanced to 359.2 J kg-1 and 382.4 J kg-1 in Pr5Si2Sn and Nd5Si2Sn alloys compared with 283.2 J kg-1 and 216.5 J kg-1 in Pr5Si3 and Nd5Si3 alloys. The excellent magnetocaloric properties suggest that R5(Si, Sn)3 (R = Pr, Nd) alloys could be the promising candidates for magnetic cooling.