Reduction of hysteresis loss and large magnetocaloric effects in substituted compounds of itinerant-electron metamagnets La(FexSi1−x)13

The maximum value of hysteresis loss EhMAX due to the itinerant-electron metamagnetic (IEM) transition of La(FexSi1−x)13 and the partially substituted compounds La1−zCez(Fe0.86Si0.14)13 and La1−z′Prz′(Fe0.86Si0.14)13 increases when the magnetocaloric effects (MCEs) become large. It should be noted that the reduction of EhMAX without the decrease of large MCEs is achieved in La1−zCez(Fe0.86Si0.14)13 and La1−z′Prz′(Fe0.86Si0.14)13. For both the compound systems mentioned above, the critical temperature T0 for the IEM transition decreases and the difference between T0 and the Curie temperature TC becomes larger with decreasing TC. These results are consistent with the magnetic phase diagram of La(Fe0.86Si0.14)13 under hydrostatic pressure. Consequently, the reduction of EhMAX in La1−zCez(Fe0.86Si0.14)13 and La1−z′Prz′(Fe0.86Si0.14)13 is closely related with the magnetovolume effects.