Unusual magnetic, magnetocaloric, and transport properties in phase-separated LaFe2Si

Abstract

The LaFe13-xSix compounds have been studied for nearly two decades for their potential to serve as materials for magnetocaloric cooling. They exhibit either first- or second-order phase transitions depending on x(Si). Here we present the discovery of a naturally formed two-phase composite at the LaFe2Si stoichiometry, which exhibits strongly responsive behaviors without mechanical degradation that can be exploited in weak magnetic fields. Some of the unusual properties include a two-step, nearly anhysteretic first-order phase transformation between ferromagnetic (FM) and paramagnetic (PM) states, instead of a singular phase change present in conventional LaFe13-xSix, that is preserved in magnetic fields as high as 100 kOe. In addition to the giant magnetocaloric effect, the title material exhibits large, plateau-like positive magnetoresistance, both extending over a much wider temperature range when compared to phase-pure LaFe13-xSix. Finally, the composite also shows a Griffiths-like phase associated with short-range FM clustering in the PM state (Pathak et. al., Acta Mat. 215 (2021) 117083). We will also discuss the effect of impurities on magnetic, magnetocaloric, and transport behaviors of LaFe2Si.The work at Ames Laboratory was supported by the Division of Materials Science and Engineering, the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the DOE. Ames Laboratory is operated for the U.S DOE by Iowa State University under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11358. Work at SUNY, Buffalo State was supported by the startup fund from SUNY Buffalo State College and the Undergraduate Research Office, Buffalo State.