Magnetocaloric effect of Pr2Fe17-xMnx alloys

Polycrystalline Pr2Fe17-xMnx(x = 0, 1, and 2)alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD), heat capacity, ac susceptibility, and isothermal magnetization measurements. All the alloys adopt the rhombohedral Th2Zn17-type structure. The Curie temperature increases from 283 K at x = 0 to 294 K at x = 1, and then decreases to 285 K at x = 2. The magnetic phase transition at the Curie temperature is a typical second-order paramagnetic–ferromagnetic transition. For an applied field change from0 to 5 T, the maximum-DSMfor Pr2Fe17-xMnxalloys with x = 0, 1, and 2 are 5.66, 5.07, and 4.31 J kg-1 K-1,respectively. The refrigerant capacity(RC) values range from 458 to 364 J kg-1, which is about 70 %–89 % that of Gd. The large, near room temperature DSMand RC values,chemical stability, and a high performance-to-cost ratio make Pr2Fe17-xMnxalloys be selectable materials for room temperature magnetic refrigeration applications.