Crystal structure, critical phenomena and magnetocaloric properties of Ni-substituted ferromagnetic Pr2Fe17 intermetallic compound around room temperature

The structural, critical behavior and magnetocaloric properties of Pr2Fe16.9Ni0.1 alloy have been studied. Rietveld's refinement of the X-ray powder diffraction patterns shows that the sample crystallizes in the rhombohedral structure with an ������3 ������ space group. Based on thermomagnetic measurements, critical behavior was investigated using the modified Arrott plot, Kouvel-Fisher methods, and critical isotherm analysis. The critical exponents (������, ������, and ������) were found to be similar to the 3D-Ising type indicating that the magnetic interactions extend beyond the nearest neighbors. Furthermore, Pr2Fe16.9Ni0.1 exhibits a direct magnetocaloric effect around room temperature with moderate magnetic entropy change (-& UDelta;������������max = 6.2 J.kg-1.K-1 at ������0 & UDelta;������= 5 T) and a wide working temperature range. Additionally, the Relative Cooling Power (RCP) is about 89% of the well-known gadolinium (Gd) for ������0 & UDelta;������= 2 T. The good magnetocaloric response of this compound is comparable or even better than that of many other intermetallic alloys.

Automated summary

The structural, critical behavior and magnetocaloric properties of Pr2Fe16.9Ni0.1 alloy were investigated. It was found that the sample crystallizes in the rhombohedral structure and exhibits a 3D-Ising type critical behavior. The alloy shows a direct magnetocaloric effect around room temperature with moderate magnetic entropy change and a wide working temperature range, making it comparable or even better than other intermetallic alloys.