Magnetocaloric effect in La1−zCez(Fe0.88−yMnySi0.12)13 with tunable, low transition temperature in high magnetic fields

Cryogenic magnetic refrigeration becomes more and more important nowadays, especially for the liquefaction of gases such as hydrogen. In this study, we have synthesized La1−zCez(Fe0.88−yMnySi0.12)13 samples and investigated their magnetic and magnetocaloric properties in order to assess their potential for cryogenic applications. By adjusting the Mn and Ce content and adding excess rare-earth elements, the first-order ferromagnetic transition was lowered from 200 to 40 K and the adiabatic temperature change of the samples was measured directly using pulsed magnetic fields. The sample with the lowest transition temperature still showed a significant adiabatic temperature change in magnetic fields up to 10 T, with an increasingly stronger first-order transition observed in samples with higher Ce substitution. In addition, we synthesized spherical powder with diameters between 20 and 120 μm using ultrasonic atomization while maintaining the magnetic transition, which is a promising starting material for future additive manufacturing of magnetocaloric materials.