Tuning of Magnetocaloric Potential in Disordered Ni-Mn-Sn Alloy

The Ni50Mn36.5Sn13.5 alloy was prepared and annealed for four different times (6, 12, 18 and 24 hrs) at 1173 K. The width of the martensitic transition (MT) was found to decrease with the increase of annealing time. The 24 hrs annealed sample showed a larger magnetic entropy change (ΔSM) near MT, but relatively narrower transition width limited its refrigerant capacity (RC) to a significant extent. The sample annealed for 12 hrs exhibited larger RC and indicated that the partially disordered Ni-Mn-Sn alloys can be a better magnetocaloric candidate as compared to the ordered one.