Magnetocaloric effect in La(Fe0.89Si0.11)13La(Fe0.89Si0.11)13 irradiated by protons

The magnetic properties and the magnetic entropy change of La(Fe0.89Si0.11)13La(Fe0.89Si0.11)13 compounds under proton irradiation were investigated. With increasing proton fluence, the atomic displacement increased, which gave rise to increase of the lattice constant and Curie temperature. The magnetic entropy change slightly decreased with increasing proton fluence, but still remained large. Among the demonstrated attractive features of the materials, the maximum hysteresis loss almost disappeared and the relative cooling power increased slightly under proton irradiation.

Research highlights
► La(Fe0.89Si0.11)13 is well known as a giant magnetocaloric effect (MCE).
► To improve its MCE, the proton was irradiated.
► Tc increased to 5%.
► Magnetic refrigeration efficiency was considerably improved by proton irradiation.