Magnetocaloric effect in nickel and iron nanowires with a domain wall

Abstract

The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in cylindrical nickel and iron nanowires containing a domain wall (DW) was investigated. A negative MCE was found out in these systems in a weak magnetic field, caused by thermal motion of the DW. It is shown that this phenomenon enhances with reduction of the magnetization of nanowires. For example, a decrease in magnetization by 50% in nickel or by 41.2% in iron nanowire leads to increment of their critical diameters (in the same magnetic field) by 48 and 27.5%, respectively. It is found that negative MCE makes it possible to change the initial temperature of 103–104 compacted nanowires by ~ 1 K. This result is of practical interest in the context of developing technologies based on the thermodynamic properties of nickel and iron nanowires with DW.