Recent progress in magnetocaloric effect: Mechanisms and potential applications

• Magnetocaloric effect mechanisms in the framework of thermodynamic approach are regarded.
• The ability of increasing of the adiabatic temperature change up to 3 times is stated.
• The necessity of investigation of magnetocaloric effect in dynamic mode is shown.
• Possible application of magnetocaloric effect in medicine is discussed.

Recent results in understanding of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) mechanisms in the framework of thermodynamic approach are regarded and discussed. Importance of relation between ΔSMT (magnetic entropy change at constant temperature) and ΔSMH (magnetic entropy change at constant field) and it influence on MCE value is considered. The main contributions to the MCE are discussed. The importance of further development of models of interactions between magnetic and structural subsystems in vicinity of magnetic phase transitions is stressed. It is stated that the present level of MCE parameters (in particular, adiabatic temperature change) can be increased up to 3 times. The necessity of investigation of MCE parameters in dynamic mode and development of new experimental methods and apparatuses for MCE measurements is discussed. The most obvious application for MCE for today is magnetic refrigeration, but MCE also can be used for other applications such as medicine (hyperthermia, drug delivering), etc., which are regarded.