Structure and giant inverse magnetocaloric effect of epitaxial Ni-Co-Mn-Al films

Abstract

In the ongoing search for magnetocaloric materials, Heusler compound based ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMA) of the system Ni-Mn-Z (Z=Sb, Ga, In, Sn) turned out to be very promising due to low cost of the containing elements and sizable magnetocaloric effects (MCE).[1] Substitution of Ni against Co in Ni-Mn-Z is known to improve the metamagnetic behavior of the martensitic transition, and thus the magnetocaloric properties as it increases the austenite Curie temperature T<inf>C</inf>A and leads to a transition from weak magnetic martensite to ferromagnetic austenite. Off-stoi-chiometric Ni-Mn-Al also shows a martensitic transition but accompanied by only small changes in the magnetization and hence neglectable MCE.[2] Substitution of up to 10at.% Co for Ni strongly promotes the ferromagnetism in the austenite phase and leads to a metamagnetic martensitic transition.[3] The magnetization difference between austenite and martensite enables magnetic field induced reverse transition together with an inverse magnetocaloric effect. © 2015 IEEE.