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The structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of La0.6Pr0.4Mn2Si2 compound were measured in wide range of temperature, magnetic field and hydrostatic pressure. The structural study up to 10 GPa confirmed the existence of critical Mn-Mn distance 0.2883 nm for the ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition at room temperature. The results demonstrated the crucial role of the volume in the suppression of the ferromagnetic phase above the transition temperature T1 = 168 K under pressure. The huge pressure shift of the transition temperature T1, dT1 /dp = 230 K/GPa, was observed. Based on our magnetization measurement the low temperature transition at T2 = 30 K is connected with reorientation of Mn moment and the rare-earth sublattice is not ordered in this case. The direct magnetocaloric measurement showed moderate values of the adiabatic temperature change connected with the magnetic transition at Tc and T1 and confirmed the first order character of the transition at T1 and second order character of the transition at Tc.

Complex study of magnetic, magnetocaloric and structural properties of the Ni2MnSn and Ni1.92Mn1.56Sn0.52 compounds was performed. The stoichiometric single-crystal of Ni2MnSn was prepared by Czochralski method. The remarkable pressure effect on the martensitic magnetization and the martensite-austenite transition temperature TM–A was observed in the Ni1.92Mn1.56Sn0.52 compound. The coefficient dTM–A/dp reached value of 18 K/GPa. The already low value of martensite magnetization of Ni1.92Mn1.56Sn0.52 was further substantially decreased by external pressure, in contrast with pressure almost insensitive magnetization of the stoichiometric Ni2MnSn single-crystal. The pulse magnetic field of 58 T invoked the structural transition at temperature 180 K that is of about 100 K below TM–A of Ni1.92Mn1.56Sn0.52 at zero field. An anomalous increase of resistivity of the compound has been observed at temperature range below TM–A, however, it does not copy the sharp change of magnetization at TM–A. The obtained results indicate the important role of interatomic distances on the magnetic ordering and electronic structure of the studied Heusler alloys and are in agreement with the Jahn-Teller mechanism of the martensitic transition in these compounds.