Suppression of aqueous corrosion of La(Fe0.88Si0.12)13 by reducing dissolved oxygen concentration for high-performance magnetic refrigeration

The itinerant-electron metamagnetic transition of La(Fe0.88Si0.12)13 becomes indistinct after immersion in distilled-water containing about 8 ppm of the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration because of aqueous corrosion. However, the aqueous corrosion of La(Fe0.88Si0.12)13 is significantly suppressed by reducing the DO concentration. Thus, isothermal magnetic entropy change after immersion for 30 days in deaerated distilled-water with a DO concentration less than 0.1 ppm is larger than that after immersion for 5 days in distilled-water containing about 8 ppm of the DO concentration. Consequently, the reduction of the DO concentration is effective for preservation of the excellent magnetocaloric effects of La(Fe0.88Si0.12)13 in an aqueous solution, which is a promising heat transfer fluid of room-temperature magnetic refrigeration.