Contradictory role of the magnetic contribution in inverse magnetocaloric Heusler materials

Abstract

In this paper, we illustrate the dilemma of inverse magnetocaloric materials using the example of Heusler alloys. For such materials, the magnetic and lattice contribution to the total entropy change are competing with each other. For the two paradigmatic Heusler systems of Ni-Mn-In and Ni-Mn-In-Co, we provide a systematic comparison of experimental data under different magnetic fields and hydrostatic pressures with magnetic and the magnetocaloric properties obtained from the Heisenberg model. This allows us to separate the lattice and the magnetic contribution to the total entropy of the martensitic transition. Our analysis reveals that a large magnetization change is parasitic, but at the same time it is necessary to drive the magnetocaloric effect. This contradicting role of the magnetic contribution---the dilemma---is a general characteristic of inverse magnetocaloric Heusler materials.