Novel La(Fe,Si)13/Cu Composites for Magnetic Cooling

An approach to engineering magnetic refrigerant materials with defined thermal transport properties is demonstrated using the example of high magnetocaloric performance La-Fe-Si alloys. A tunability of up to 300% of the thermal conductivity can be achieved in composites consisting of a La(Fe,Si)13 compound and Cu prepared by electroless copper plating without compromising the magnitude of the magnetocaloric effect.