Enhanced magnetocaloric properties of FeZr amorphous films by C ion implantation

• The C ion implantation is used to enhance the magnetocaloric properties of FeZr amorphous films.
• Upon implantation significant enhancement of both −ΔSM and RCP are observed.
• The increase in RCP is due the chemical non-homogeneity of the implanted sample.
• The enhancement in (−ΔSM) is attributed to the increase of magnetization induced by C doping.

For a high magnetic refrigeration efficiency, a large change of magnetic entropy (−ΔSM) associated with a high relative cooling power (RCP) are highly desirable. Here, the ion implantation is used to enhance both parameters in FeZr amorphous films. A considerable enhancement of both (−ΔSM) and RCP, from 0.66 to 1.01 J/kg K and 84.5 to 155.5 J/kg respectively, for the as-grown sample compared to the C-implanted sample is obtained for a magnetic field change of µ0ΔH=1.5 T. The increase of (−ΔSM) and RCP values, are attributed to the increase of the magnetization and the chemical inhomogeneity, respectively upon C implantation.