Stability and Magnetocaloric Properties of Sintered La(Fe, Mn, Si)13Hz Alloys

Long-term aging treatments of partially hydrogenated ternary La-Fe-Si alloys show that these materials do not have stable magnetic properties. If partially hydrogenated LaFe13-xSixHg is held at its Curie temperature for several days it decomposes into a fraction with an increased Curie temperature and another one with decreased Curie temperature compared to the starting material. Such degrading material cannot be used in applications which require constant properties over a long period of time. By fully hydrogenating manganese containing LaFe13-x-yMnySixHg, stable alloys with adjustable Curie temperatures around room temperature can be produced. These hydrides do not change their magnetic properties if they are operated close to their Curie temperature.