Magnetocaloric effect in Tb(Co0.94Fe0.06)2 alloy with negligible thermal hysteresis and wide working temperature range

Abstract

In the present work, the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and magnetic properties of Tb(Co0.94Fe0.06)2 alloy were studied. X-ray diffraction pattern taken at room temperature confirms that the sample crystallizes in single phase with rhombohedral structure. The paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition was observed at 304 K near the room temperature. Banerjee criterion and universal scaling of the MCE was employed to confirm the second-order nature of the magnetic transition. Differential scanning calorimetry and magnetic characterizations have shown the absence of thermal and magnetic hysteresis in the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition region. The magnetic entropy change for Tb(Co0.94Fe0.06)2 associated with the ferromagnetic transition has been observed over a wide working temperature range (93 K) leading to large refrigerant capacity. The maximum value of magnetic entropy change (−ΔSM) under 5 T magnetic field is 4.3 J/kgK and the corresponding value of refrigerant capacity is 368.7 J/kg. Interestingly, the magnetocaloric performance of Tb(Co0.94Fe0.06)2 alloy is comparable with some rare-earth-based magnetocaloric materials. These remarkable features make this alloy a suitable candidate for magnetic refrigeration at room temperature.