Bulk Mn_(1.2)Fe_(0.8)P_(0.76)Ge_(0.24) alloy was prepared by mechanical milling and subsequent spark plasma sintering technique.Effect of annealing on the structure and magneto-caloric properties of the alloy was inve...Bulk Mn_(1.2)Fe_(0.8)P_(0.76)Ge_(0.24) alloy was prepared by mechanical milling and subsequent spark plasma sintering technique.Effect of annealing on the structure and magneto-caloric properties of the alloy was investigated.XRD results show that both sintered and annealed samples possess a hexagonal Fe_2P-type crystal structure.After annealing,ferromagnetic impurity Fe_3Mn_4Ge_6,which exists in the sintered sample,was eliminated from the alloy.Furthermore,the lattice constants a and c change noticeably,leading to a decrease in c/a ratio,while the cell volume almost remains invariable.As a result,the Curie temperature of the alloy increases from 253 K to 298 K,but the maximum magnetic entropy change decreases from 37.5 to 11.7 J·kg·K^(-1) for 2 T magnetic field change.On the other hand,the thermal hysteresis of M-T curves around T_C upon heating and cooling is 14 and 8 K for the as-sintered and the annealed sample,respectively,showing evident change.展开更多
基金supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 1112005)the National Major Fundamental Research Program of China,Ministry of Science and Technology China (No. 2010CB833100)
文摘Bulk Mn_(1.2)Fe_(0.8)P_(0.76)Ge_(0.24) alloy was prepared by mechanical milling and subsequent spark plasma sintering technique.Effect of annealing on the structure and magneto-caloric properties of the alloy was investigated.XRD results show that both sintered and annealed samples possess a hexagonal Fe_2P-type crystal structure.After annealing,ferromagnetic impurity Fe_3Mn_4Ge_6,which exists in the sintered sample,was eliminated from the alloy.Furthermore,the lattice constants a and c change noticeably,leading to a decrease in c/a ratio,while the cell volume almost remains invariable.As a result,the Curie temperature of the alloy increases from 253 K to 298 K,but the maximum magnetic entropy change decreases from 37.5 to 11.7 J·kg·K^(-1) for 2 T magnetic field change.On the other hand,the thermal hysteresis of M-T curves around T_C upon heating and cooling is 14 and 8 K for the as-sintered and the annealed sample,respectively,showing evident change.
