The study of magnetocaloric effect in R2Fe17 (R = Y, Pr) alloys

Magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in low-cost iron-based binary alloys R2Fe17 (R = Y, Pr) has been investigated by measuring their magnetic properties. The Curie temperature of these alloys is found to be close to room temperature. The specific heat measurement of these materials indicates a second order ferromagnetic/paramagnetic phase transition. The MCE properties in these alloys are comparable to that of gadolinium, which is very expensive for domestic use. Therefore these binary alloys are suitable as room temperature MCE materials. The effect of pulsed magnetic field on the MCE properties has also been studied up to 25 T.