Magnetostructural transition in NiCuCoMnGa alloys

The effects of the addition of Co on the martensitic transformation and Curie transition temperatures of polycrystalline Ni46-xCu4CoxMn33.sGa16.5 （x = 0, 1, 3, 5） alloys are investigated. An abrupt decrease in the martensitic transformation temperature and an obvious increase in the Curie transition temperature of austenite （TA） are observed when Co is doped in the NiCuMnGa alloy. As a result, the composition range for obtaining the magnetostructural transition is extended. Furthermore, the effect of a strong magnetic field on the magnetostructural transition is analyzed. This study offers a possible method to extend the composition range for obtaining magnetostructural transition in Heusler alloys.

Magnetic phase transitions and magnetocaloric effect in the Fe-doped MnNiGe alloys

The magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric effects in Fe-doped MnNiGe alloys are investigated. The substitution of Fe for Ni decreases the structural transition temperature remarkably, resulting in the magnetostructural transition occurring between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states in MnNil_χFexGe alloy. Owing to the enhanced ferromagnetic coupling induced by the substitution of Fe, metamagnetic behaviour is also observed in TiNiSi-type phase of MnNil-xFezGe alloys at temperature below the structural transition temperature.

Magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric effect in Mn_(1-x)Zn_xCoGe alloys

The magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric effect are studied in a series of Mn1-xZnxCoGe （x = 0.0l, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.08） alloys. By introducing a small quantity of Zn element, the structural transformation temperature of the MnCoGe alloy is greatly reduced and a first-order magnetostructural transition is observed. Further increasing the Zn concentration results in a second-order ferromagnetic transition. Large room-temperature magnetocaloric effects with small magnetic hysteresis are obtained in alloys with x = 0.01 and 0.02, which suggests their potential application in magnetic refrigeration.

Phase transition and mechanical properties of Ni_(30)Cu_(20)Mn_(37+x)Ga_(13-x)(x=0–4.5) alloys

Ni30Cu20Mn37＋xGa13-x（x = 0–4.5） alloys were studied with the phase transformation and mechanical properties. With the increase of Mn content, the martensitic transformation temperatures increase and the Curie temperature decreases. Simultaneously, the room temperature microstructure evolves from single phase of austenite to dual phases containing martensite and precipitation. Both the ductility and the strength of the polycrystalline alloys are significantly improved by the precipitation. Coupled magnetostructural transition from weak magnetic martensite to ferromagnetic austenite is obtained in both single-phase and ductile dual-phase alloys.

Large enhancement of magnetocaloric effect induced by dual regulation effects of hydrostatic pressure in Mn_(0.94)Fe_(0.06)NiGe compound

MM'X(M,M'=transition metals,X=carbon or boron group elements)compounds could exhibit large magnetocaloric effect due to the magnetostructural transition,and the composition regulation has been widely studied to realize the magnetostructural transition.Moreover,the magnetostructural transition is also sensitive to the pressure.Herein,the effect of hydrostatic pressure on magnetostructural transformation and magnetocaloric effect has been investigated in Mn_(0.94)Fe_(0.06)NiGe compound.Dual regulation effect of lowering structural transition temperature and strengthening ferromagnetic(FM)state of martensite is realized by applying hydrostatic pressure,which would greatly improve the magnetocaloric effect of Mn_(0.94)Fe_(0.06)NiGe compound.Moreover,the first-principles calculations have also been performed to discuss the origin of the regulation effect under hydrostatic pressure,and it indicates that the hydrostatic pressure can stabilize the hexagonal structure and decrease the structural transition temperature.The maximum isothermal entropy change increases by 109%from 4.3 J/(kg K)under 0 GPa to 9.0 J/(kg K)under 0.402 GPa for a magnetic field change of 0-3 T.This work proves that the hydrostatic pressure is an effective method to regulate the magnetostructural transition and enhance magnetocaloric effect in MM'X compounds.