Giant magnetocaloric effect in Tb5Ge2-xSi2-xMn2x compounds

The crystal structure,magnetic and magnetocaloric characteristics of the pseduo ternary compounds of Tb5Ge2 xSi2 xMn2x(0 ≤ 2x ≤ 0.1) were investigated by x-ray powder diffraction and magnetization measurements.The x-ray powder diffraction results show that all compounds preserve the monoclinic phase as the majority phase and all the synthesized compounds were observed to be ferromagnetic from magnetization measurements.Magnetic phase transitions were interpreted in terms of Landau theory.Maximum isothermal magnetic entropy change value(20.84 J.kg-1.K-1) was found for Tb5Ge1.95Si1.95Mn0.1 at around 123 K in the magnetic field change of 5 T.     

Anomalous thermal expansion and spontaneous magnetostriction of Gd2Fe16Cr compound

The structural and the magnetic properties of Gd 2 Fe 16 Cr compound are investigated by x-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements.The Gd 2 Fe 16 Cr compound has a rhombohedral Th 2 Zn 17-type structure.There exist an anisotropic strong spontaneous magnetostriction and a negative thermal expansion in the magnetic state of Gd 2 Fe 16 Cr compound.The average thermal expansion coefficient ā=-7.03 × 10-6 /K in a temperature range of 294-454 K and ā=-1.31 × 10-5 /K in 454-572 K are obtained.The spontaneous magnetostrictive deformation and the Curie temperature are discussed.     

Synthesis, structure and antiferromagnetic behaviour of brannerite MnV2O6

Brannerite MnV 2 O 6 with plate-like shape is successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method.Its crystal structure and morphology are investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD),scanning electron microscopy (SEM),transmission electron microscope (TEM),high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and select area electronic diffraction (SAED).The results show that the brannerite MnV 2 O 6 with monoclinic structure has a uniform plate-like shape with a diameter of about 5-8 μm and a thickness of about 500 nm.SAED patterns further confirm the structure of the brannerite MnV 2 O 6 and the single crystalline character of the plate crystal.Magnetic properties are measured by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in a temperature range of 2-300 K under a magnetic field of 1 T.The magnetic measurement results indicate that the material undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition with a N’eel temperature of 17 K.Above 50 K,the inverse susceptibility is fitted well to the Curie-Weiss law with a calculated moment of 5.98 μ B.Finally,the origin of antiferromagnetic behaviour in the brannerite MnV 2 O 6 is explained by means of Anderson model.     

Dy2 AlFe13 Mn3 化合物的本征磁致伸缩

通过X-射线衍射及磁测量手段研究了Dy2AlFe13Mn3化合物的结构及磁性质。研究结果表明Dy2AlFe13Mn3化合物具有六角相的Th2Ni17型结构。通过X-射线热膨胀测定法发现Dy2AlFe13Mn3化合物在245到344K的温度范围内存在负热膨胀现象，其平均热膨胀系数为α＝-1.1×10-4K-1K-1。在105到360K的温度范围内，通过比较磁性状态下的晶胞参数和由高温顺磁状态外延得到的低温顺磁状态下的晶胞参数间的差别计算了Dy2AlFe13Mn3化合物的本征磁致伸缩。结果表明Dy2AlFe13Mn3化合物的本征体磁致伸缩ωS在105到245K的温度范围内随着温度的升高而增大，由105K时的7.0×10-3 增加到245K时的9.1×10-3。随着温度的进一步升高，ωS反而减小。沿c轴方向的本征线磁致伸缩λc随着温度的升高而减小。基面内的本征线磁致伸缩λa在105到270K的温度范围内随着温度的升高而增大，从105K时的0.8×10-3增大到270K时的3.4×10-3，然后随着温度的进一步升高而减小。     

Effect of Co substitution on magnetic properties and magnetic entropy changes in LaFe11.83Si0.94Al0.23 compounds

Effect of Co substitution on magnetic properties and magnetic entropy changes in LaFe_{11.83}Si_{0.94}Al_{0.23} compounds has been investigated by means of magnetization measurements. X-ray diffraction shows the prepared compounds to be single phase with the cubic NaZn_{13}-type structure. Substitution of Co for Fe leads to an increase of Curie temperature of the material. The magnetic entropy changes in LaFe_{11.83}Si_{0.94}Al_{0.23} and LaFe_{11.03}Co_{0.80}Si_{0.94}Al_{0.23} compounds are 21.8J/(kg·K) to 16.9J/(kg·K) under a magnetic field change of 0－5T at Curie temperature, respectively. Giant magnetic entropy changes are attributed to the higher magnetization and the rapid change in magnetization at Curie temperature.     

Tailored martensitic transformation and enhanced magnetocaloric effect in all-d-metal Ni35Co15Mn33Fe2Ti15 alloy ribbons

The crystal structure, martensitic transformation and magnetocaloric effect have been studied in all-$d$-metal Ni$_{35}$Co$_{15}$Mn$_{33}$Fe$_{2}$Ti$_{15}$ alloy ribbons with different wheel speeds (15 m/s (S15), 30 m/s (S30), and 45 m/s (S45)). All three ribbons crystalize in B2-ordered structure at room temperature with crystal constants of 5.893(2) Å, 5.898(4) Å, and 5.898(6) Å, respectively. With the increase of wheel speed, the martensitic transformation temperature decreases from 230 K to 210 K, the Curie temperature increases slightly from 371 K to 378 K. At the same time, magnetic entropy change ($\Delta S_{\rm m}$) is also enhanced, as well as refrigeration capacity ($RC$). The maximum $\Delta S_{\rm m}$ of 15.6(39.7) J/kg$\cdot$K and $RC$ of 85.5 (212.7) J/kg under $\Delta H = 20$ (50) kOe (1 ${\rm Oe}=79.5775$ A$\cdot$m$^{-1}$) appear in S45. The results indicate that the ribbons could be the candidate for solid-state magnetic refrigeration materials.     

Spontaneous magnetostriction of Y2Fe16Al compound

The structure and magnetic properties of Y₂Fe₁₆Al compound have been investigated by means of x-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements. The Y₂Fe Fe₁₆Al compound has a hexagonal Th$_{2}$Ni$_{17}$-type structure. Negative thermal expansion was found in Y₂Fe₁₆Al compound in the temperature range from 332 to 438K by x-ray dilatometry. The coefficient of the average thermal expansion is \alpha =-3.4\times 10^-5K^-1. The spontaneous magnetostrictive deformations from 293 to 427K have been calculated based on the differences between the experimental values of the lattice parameters and the corresponding values extrapolated from the paramagnetic range. The result shows that the spontaneous volume magnetostrictive deformation \textit{$\omega $}$_{\rm S}$ decreases from 5.4$\times $10^-3to near zero with temperature increasing from 293 to 427K, the spontaneous linear magnetostrictive deformation \textit{$\lambda $}$_{\rm c}$ along the $c$ axis is much larger than the spontaneous linear magnetostrictive deformation \textit{$\lambda $}$_{\rm a}$ in basal-plane in the same temperature range except near 427K.     

Temperature dependence of the luminescence properties of LaCl3：Ce crystal

The optical properties of LaCl3：Ce crystal are reported in this paper. Optical transmission spectrum, photoluminescence and time resolved photoluminescence spectra at different temperatures are investigated. It is found that optical transmittance is as high as 80% between 320 nm and 600 nm, and no obvious absorption band is found in this region. Emission intensity and decay time of photoluminescence are quite stable with the change of the temperature between 80 K and 500 K. No thermal quenching is present up to 500 K, and decay time keeps at 17±2 ns. With the increase of the temperature, the whole emission bands and excitation bands present broadening and overlapping, leading to the strengthening of re-absorption of the Ce^3＋ emission, which makes the emission spectra have a red shift trend.     

Effect of Dy substitution on magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of Tb6Co1.67Si3 compounds

The magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of(Tb1-xDyx) 6 Co 1.67 Si 3(0 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) have been experimentally investigated.The compounds exhibit a Ce6Ni2Si3-type hexagonal structure and undergo a second-order magnetic transition.The Curie temperature decreases from ～ 187 K to 142 K as the content of Dy grows from 0 to 0.8.The maximal magnetic entropy change,for a field change of 0-5 T,varies between ～ 6.2 and ～ 7.4 J/kg.K,slightly decreasing when Dy is introduced.The substitution of Dy leads to a remarkable increase in refrigeration capacity(RC).A large RC value of ～ 626 J/kg is achieved for x = 0.4 under a field change of 0-5 T.     

Structure and luminescence of Ca2Si5N8：Eu^2＋ phosphor for warm white light-emitting diodes

We have synthesized Ca 2 Si 5 N 8:Eu 2+ phosphor through a solid-state reaction and investigated its structural and luminescent properties.Our Rietveld refinement of the crystal structure of Ca 1.9 Eu 0.1 Si 5 N 8 reveals that Eu atoms substituting for Ca atoms occupy two crystallographic positions.Between 10 K and 300 K,Ca 2 Si 5 N 8:Eu 2+ phosphor shows a broad red emission band centred at ～1.97 eV-2.01 eV.The gravity centre of the excitation band is located at 3.0 eV-3.31 eV.The centroid shift of the 5d levels of Eu 2+ is determined to be ～1.17 eV,and the red-shift of the lowest absorption band to be ～ 0.54 eV due to the crystal field splitting.We have analysed the temperature dependence of PL by using a configuration coordinate model.The Huang-Rhys parameter S=6.0,the phonon energy ν=52 meV,and the Stokes shift S=0.57 eV are obtained.The emission intensity maximum occurring at ～200 K can be explained by a trapping effect.Both photoluminescence (PL) emission intensity and decay time decrease with temperature increasing beyond 200 K due to the non-radiative process.     

Synthesis and characterization of Ca2Sn1-xCexO4 with blue luminescence originating from Ce^4＋ charge transfer transition

Ce^4＋-doped Ca2SnO4 with a one-dimensional structure, which emits bright blue light, is prepared by using a solid-state reaction method. The x-ray diffraction results show that the Ce^4＋ ions doped in Ca2SnO4 occupy the Sn^4＋ sites. The excitation and emission spectra of Ca2Sn1-xCexO4 appear to have broad bands with peaks at - 268nm and -442nm, respectively. A long excited-state lifetime （-83μs） for the emission from Ca2Sn1-xCexO4 suggests that the luminescence originates from a ligand-to-metal Ce^4＋ charge transfer （CT）. The luminescent properties of Ca2Snl_xCexO4 have been compared with those of Sr2CeO4, which is the only material reported so far to show Ce^4＋ CT luminescence. More interestingly, it is observed that the emission intensity of Ca2Sn1-xCexO4 with a small doping concentration （x - 0.03） is comparable to that of Sr2CeO4 in which the concentration of active centre is 100%.     

The magnetic and dielectric properties of multiferroic Sr- substituted Zn2-Y hexagonal ferrites

The magnetic and dielectric properties of Sr-substituted Zn2-Y hexagonal ferrites （Ba2-x SrxZn2Fe12O22, 1.0 〈 x ≤ 1.5） are studied in this paper. Sr substitution will lead to the variation of cation occupation, which influences both the magnetic and electric properties. As Sr content x rises from 1.0 to 1.5, magnetic hysteresis loop gets wider gradually and the permeability drops rapidly due to the transformation from ferrimagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase. Moreover, permittivity rises with increasing Sr content. Under a certain external magnetic field, the phase transition of helical spin structure of Ba0.5Srl.5Zn2Fe12O22 at about 295 K seems to open a possibility for the room-temperature ferroelectricity induced by magnetic field. But its low resistivity prevents the observation of ferroelectric and magnetoelectric properties at room-temperature.     

Magnetic properties and magnetic entropy changes of La1-xPrxFe11.5Si1.5 compounds with 0≤x≤ 0.5

Magnetic properties and magnetic entropy changes in LaFe$_{11.5}$Si$_{1.5}$ have been investigated by partially substituting Pr by La. It is found that La$_{1 - x}$Pr$_{x}$Fe$_{11.5}$Si$_{1.5}$ compounds remain cubic NaZn$_{13}$-type structures even when the Pr content is increased to 0.5, i.e. $x = 0.5$. Substitution of Pr for La leads to a reduction in both the crystal constant and the Curie temperature. A stepwise magnetic behaviour in the isothermal magnetization curves is observed, indicating that the characteristic of the itinerant electron metamagnetic (IEM) transition above $T_{\rm C}$ becomes more prominent with the Pr content increasing. As a result, the magnetic entropy change is remarkably enhanced from 23.0 to 29.4\,J/kg$\cdot$K as the field changes from 0 to 5\,T, with the value of $x$ increasing from 0 to 0.5. It is more attractive that the magnetic entropy changes for all samples are shaped into high plateaus in a wide range of temperature, which is highly favourable for Ericsson-type magnetic refrigeration.     

Slight Co-doping tuned magnetic and electric properties on cubic BaFeO3 single crystal

The single crystal of cubic perovskite BaFeO$_{3}$ shows multiple magnetic transitions and external stimulus sensitive magnetism. In this paper, a 5%-Co-doped BaFeO$_{3}$ (i.e. BaFe$_{0.95}$Co$_{0.05}$O$_{3})$ single crystal was grown by combining floating zone methods with high-pressure techniques. Such a slight Co doping has little effect on crystal structure, but significantly changes the magnetism from the parent antiferromagnetic ground state to a ferromagnetic one with the Curie temperature $T_{\rm C} \approx 120$ K. Compared with the parent BaFeO$_{3}$ at the induced ferromagnetic state, the saturated magnetic moment of the doped BaFe$_{0.95}$Co$_{0.05}$O$_{3}$ increases by about 10% and reaches 3.64 $\mu_{\rm B}$/f.u. Resistivity and specific heat measurements show that the ferromagnetic ordering favors metallic-like electrical transport behavior for BaFe$_{0.95}$Co$_{0.05}$O$_{3}$. The present work indicates that Co-doping is an effective method to tune the magnetic and electric properties for the cubic perovskite phase of BaFeO$_{3}$.     

Formation of quaternary all-d-metal Heusler alloy by Co doping fcc type Ni2MnV and mechanical grinding induced B2-fcc transformation

The structure of the all-d-metal alloy Ni$_{50-x}$Co$_{x}$Mn$_{25}$V$_{25}$ ($x = 0$-50) is investigated by using theoretical and experimental methods. The first-principles calculations indicate that the most stable structure of the Ni$_{2}$MnV alloy is face-centered cubic (fcc) type structure with ferrimagnetic state and the equilibrium lattice constant is 3.60 Å, which is in agreement with the experimental result. It is remarkable that replacing partial Ni with Co can turn the alloy from the fcc structure to the B2-type Heusler structure as Co content $x > 37$ by using the melting spinning method, implying that the d-d hybridization between Co/Mn elements and low-valent elements V stabilizes the Heusler structure. The Curie temperature $T_{\rm C}$ of all-d-metal Heuser alloy Ni$_{50-x}$Co$_{x}$Mn$_{25}$V$_{25}$ ($x > 37$) increases almost linearly with the increase of Co due to that the interaction of Co-Mn is stronger than that of Ni-Mn. A magnetic transition from ferromagnetic state to weak magnetic state accompanying with grinding stress induced transformation from B2 to the dual-phase of B2 and fcc has been observed in these all-d-metal Heusler alloys. This phase transformation and magnetic change provide a guide to overcome the brittleness and make the all-d-metal Heusler alloy interesting in stress and magnetic driving structural transition.     

Crystallographic and magnetic structures ofPr6Fe13Ge studied by powder neutron diffraction

Crystallographic and magnetic structures of Pr_6Fe_{13}Ge have been investigated by high-resolution powder neutron diffraction in the temperature range of 10－300 K. The magnetic structure consists of ferromagnetic Pr_6Fe_{13} slabs that alternate antiferromagnetically, along c, with the next Pr_6Fe_{13} slab separated by a non-magnetic Ge layer. The magnetic moments lie within the ab-planes. The propagation vector of this structure is k=(001) with respect to the conventional reciprocal lattice of the I-centred structure. However, the temperature-dependence of neutron-scattering intensity of the (110) Bragg peak, very similar to the temperature-dependent magnetization measured by SQUID magnetometer, indicates that a small c-axis ferromagnetic component should be added to the above antiferromagnetic model.     

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects in Tb6Co1.67Si3 compound

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of Tb₆Co_1.67Si₃ have been investigated by magnetization measurement. This compound is of a hexagonal Ce$_{6}$Ni$_{2}$Si$_{3}$-type structure with a saturation magnetization of 187\,emu/g at 5\,K and a reversible second-order magnetic transition at Curie temperature $T_{\rm C} = 186$\,K. A magnetic entropy change $\Delta S = 7$\,J\,$\cdot$\,kg$^{-1}$\,$\cdot$\,K$^{-1}$ is observed for a magnetic field change from 0 to 5\,T. A large value of refrigerant capacity (RC) is found to be 330\,J/kg for fields ranging from 0 to 5\,T. The large RC, the reversible magnetization around $T_{\rm C}$ and the easy fabrication make the Tb₆Co_1.67Si₃ compound a suitable candidate for magnetic refrigerants in a corresponding temperature range.     

Electron spin resonance study of the Ba-doping manganite Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3

We have performed magnetization measurements and electron spin resonance （ESR） on polycrystalline manganites of Nd0.5Sr0.5-xBaxMnO3 （x = 0.1）. Phase separation and phase transitions are observed from the susceptibility and the ESR spectra data. Between 260 K （～ Tc） and 185 K （～ TN）, the system coexists of the paramagnetic phase and the ferromagnetic （FM） phase. Between 185 K and 140 K, the system coexists of the FM phase and the antiferromagnetic （AFM） phase. These results indicate that the system has a very complex magnetic state due to the origin of the instability stemming from manganite Nd0.5Sr0.4Ba0.1MnO3 by partially substituting the larger Ba^2＋ ions for the smaller Sr^2＋ ions.     

Incommensurate-commensurate magnetic phase transition in double tungstate Li2Co(WO4)2

Magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and neutron powder diffraction measurements have been performed on polycrystalline Li$_{2}$Co(WO$_{4}$)$_{2}$ samples. Under zero magnetic field, two successive magnetic transitions at $T_{\rm N1}\sim 9.4$ K and $T_{\rm N2}\sim 7.4$ K are observed. The magnetic ordering temperatures gradually decrease as the magnetic field increases. Neutron diffraction reveals that Li$_{2}$Co(WO$_{4}$)$_{2}$ enters an incommensurate magnetic state with a temperature dependent $\bm k$ between $T_{\rm N1}$ and $T_{\rm N2}$. The magnetic propagation vector locks-in to a commensurate value $\bm k = (1/2, 1/4, 1/4)$ below $T_{\rm N2}$. The antiferromagnetic structure is refined at 1.7 K with Co$^{2+}$ magnetic moment 2.8(1) $\mu_{\rm B}$, consistent with our first-principles calculations.     

Alloying and magnetic disordering effects on phase stability of Co2 YGa (Y=Cr,V, and Ni) alloys: A first-principles study

The alloying and magnetic disordering effects on site occupation, elastic property, and phase stability of Co$_{2}Y$Ga ($Y={\rm Cr}$, V, and Ni) shape memory alloys are systematically investigated using the first-principles exact muffin-tin orbitals method. It is shown that with the increasing magnetic disordering degree $y$, their tetragonal shear elastic constant $C'$ (i.e., $(C_{11}-C_{12})/2$) of the $L2_{1}$ phase decreases whereas the elastic anisotropy $A$ increases, and upon tetragonal distortions the cubic phase gets more and more unstable. Co$_{2}$CrGa and Co$_{2}$VGa alloys with $y\geq0.2$ thus can show the martensitic transformation (MT) from $L2_{1}$ to $D0_{22}$ as well as Co$_{2}$NiGa. In off-stoichiometric alloys, the site preference is controlled by both the alloying and magnetic effects. At the ferromagnetism state, the excessive Ga atoms always tend to take the $Y$ sublattices, whereas the excessive Co atom favor the $Y$ sites when $Y={\rm Cr}$, and the excessive $Y$ atoms prefer the Co sites when $Y={\rm Ni}$. The Ga-deficient $Y={\rm V}$ alloys can also occur the MT at the ferromagnetism state by means of Co or V doping, and the MT temperature $T_{\rm M}$ should increase with their addition. In the corresponding ferromagnetism $Y={\rm Cr}$ alloys, nevertheless, with Co or Cr substituting for Ga, the reentrant MT (RMT) from $D0_{22}$ to $L2_{1}$ is promoted and then $T_{\rm M}$ for the RMT should decrease. The alloying effect on the MT of these alloys is finally well explained by means of the Jahn-Teller effect at the paramagnetic state. At the ferromagnetism state, it may originate from the competition between the austenite and martensite about their strength of the covalent banding between Co and Ga as well as $Y$ and Ga.