The metamagnetic transition from an antiferromagnetic (AF) to the ferromagnetic (FM) state in FeRh alloys and the accompanying magnetocaloric effect (MCE) have been investigated with a particular attention to the sample preparation routes. Direct measurements of the adiabatic temperature change show that the MCE in FeRh remains partly reversible despite the hysteresis and exceeds the effect in the benchmark material Gd by 15 %. The AF−FM transition is strongly affected by the microstructure that is formed depending on the heat treatment parameters. This can explain the discrepancy in the reported data over 80 years of research. The effect on the magnetic properties is found to originate from the interaction of the major α'-phase with the secondary γ-phase that has been typically ignored for its negligible magnetic contribution. The nominal composition
of the magnetic α'-phase is found to differ from the actual one for binary and substituted FeRh alloys. The elements can be redistributed within the two phases in such a way, that the actual amount of the doping element in the α'-phase that experiences the AF−FM transition is greatly reduced. This demonstrates the significance of microstructural studies, especially when comparing experimental results with theoretical calculations and developing routes to tune and optimize the magnetocaloric properties of materials.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:33118 |
| Date | 07 February 2019 |
| Creators | Chirkova, Alisa |
| Contributors | Schultz, Ludwig, Franco, Victorino, Technische Universität Dresden, Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | doc-type:doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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