Effects of the excess iron on phase and magnetocaloric property of LaFe11.6*xSi1.4 alloys

The effect of Fe on microstructure and magnetic thermal performance of LaFe11.6*xSi1.4 alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The results showed that the excess Fe would make the 1:13 phase reduce in proportion and the easy corrosion phase LaFeSi phase disappear in LaFe11.6*xSi1.4 alloys. The LaFe11.6*xSi1.4 alloys kept the first order magnetic phase transition, and the maximum isothermal magnetic entropy changed and the relative cooling power reached the maximum in LaFe11.6*xSi1.4 alloys with x=1.05 and 1.1, respectively.

Graphical AbstractδS-T curves of LaFe11.6*xSi1.4 alloys under 2 T magnetic fieldFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide