Direct measurement of magnetocaloric effects in itinerant-electron metamagnets La(FexSi1-x)13 compounds and their hydrides

Magnetocaloric effects (MCEs) caused by the itinerant-electron metamagnetic (IEM) transition for the La(FexSi1-x)(13) compounds and their hydrides have been investigated by the direct measurement. The temperature change of about 5.9 K due to the MCEs was directly obtained for the La(Fe0.89Si0.11)(13) compound just above the Curie temperature T-C = 188 K tinder the adiabatic change of the magnetic field from 0 to 2 T. Similar large MCEs are directly observed in the vicinity of room temperature for the La(Fe0.89Si0.11)(13)H-1.6 compound. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.