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Natural gases have played a significant role in different sectors of the global economy. Recent analyses have shown that the world's gas consumption doubled over the last three decades; further growth of the gas consumption is predicted, rising to be 23%–28% of the total primary energy demand by 2030. Therefore, liquefaction of natural gases rapidly gains global importance. In this context, magnetic refrigeration emerges as a modern energy-saving technique, which is an alternative to the traditional gas-compression refrigeration. This paper is devoted to the study of the magnetocaloric effect in magnetic fields up to 10 T on a representative of the Laves phase alloys, GdNi2, which is considered as a perspective material for liquefaction of natural gases. For a magnetic field change of 10 T, the magnetic entropy change ΔSm ≈ −17 J/kg K and the adiabatic temperature change ΔTad ≈ 6.8 K was attained around Curie temperature TC = 70 K. The maximal value of the adiabatic temperature change measured directly in pulsed magnetic fields up to 50 T is ΔTad ≈ 15 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of in situ studies of the magnetostructural transition occurring in single crystals of an Ni2.19Mn0.81Ga Heusler alloy are presented in this paper. The formation of martensitic twins on exposure to high magnetic fields up to 10 T in the magnetostructural transition regime was observed using an indigenously developed optical microscope. Experiments on magnetization were performed on single crystals of Ni2.19Mn0.81Ga in high magnetic fields, a phase diagram between magnetic field and temperature was constructed, and the isothermal entropy change was estimated. Based on the experimental data and the results from optical microscopic examination, the influence of magnetic field and thermal cycling on martensitic twins and, in turn, on the magnetocaloric effect, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of the adiabatic temperature change (ΔT) and the specific heat transfer (ΔQ) of Ni2.18Mn0.82Ga Heusler alloy were taken in order to quantify the direct giant magnetocaloric effect of the alloy when it is in the vicinity of magneto-structural phase transition (PT) from paramagnetic austenite to ferromagnetic martensite, and their results are presented. A new vacuum calorimeter was used to simultaneously measure ΔT and ΔQ of magnetocaloric materials with a Bitter coil magnet in fields of up to H=140 kOe. Other thermomagnetic properties of this alloy were investigated using standard differential scanning calorimetry and PPMS equipment. The maximal values of magnetocaloric effect in H=140 kOe were found to be ΔT=8.4K at initial temperature 340K and ΔQ=4900 J/kg at 343 K. Using this direct method, we show that the alloy indeed demonstrates the largest value of ΔQ as compared with previously published results for direct measurements of magnetocaloric materials, even though at 140 kOe the magnetic field-induced magnetostructural PT is still not complete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the study of magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in Ni-Mn-In-Co Heusler alloys by direct methods in high magnetic fields. Ni-Mn-In-Co Heusler alloys demonstrate the inverse MCE in the magnetostructural transition area. The adiabatic temperature change value ( \Delta T\mathrm {ad} ) is determined by direct extraction method in magnetic fields up to 10 T. It is shown that the value of \Delta T\mathrm {ad} increases with decrease in the difference between the temperature of magnetostructural transition and the Curie point temperatures of the compounds. The amount of isothermal heat emission (sorption) for Ni43Mn37.8In12.2Co7 alloy is determined as a result of magnetization in magnetic field up to 10 T in the magnetostructural transition area. The obtained results are discussed from the viewpoint of magnetic and lattice subsystems influences on the total entropy change ( \Delta St ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Demonstration of the new method of studding shape memory alloys in magnetic field. • Stress-temperature-magnetic field dependence for Ni 54 Mn 21 Ga 25 , Ni 50 Mn 41.2 In 8.8 alloys. • Ability of full recoverable deformation of ferromagnetic alloy in magnetic field. • Influence of magnetic field on the martensite transition temperature. • Bilayered functional composite of new type with enhanced properties. Recently the new scheme of layered composite with shape memory effect (SME) for thermal and magnetic actuation was suggested and proved to demonstrate the reversible actuation on micro- and nanoscale. The principles of magnetic field induced martensitic transition (MFIMT) and magnetic field controlled shape memory effect (MFCSME) have the advantages of magnetic-field-controlled actuation at constant temperature, extremely small size of an actuator and compatibility with modern nanotechnologies. The present paper is devoted to experimental study of MFCSME in two ferromagnetic Heusler alloys Ni 54 Mn 21 Ga 25 and Ni 50 Mn 41.2 In 8.8 with positive and negative shift of the martensitic transition temperature in a magnetic field. The three points bending device for dilatometric tests of plate-like samples of the alloys was designed and placed in the field of Bitter coil magnet. The bending deformations versus temperature were measured at various magnetic fields up to 10 T and at mechanical stresses up to 45 MPa. The temperature shifts of thermoelastic martensitic phase transition were found to be 0.55 K/T and −0.95 K/T for Ni 54 Mn 21 Ga 25 and Ni 50 Mn 41.2 In 8.8 respectively. For direct MFCSME study the dependences of the bending deformation on magnetic fields up to 14 T were also obtained at constant temperatures for these alloys. Practically complete recoverable deformation of 0.2% due to MFIMT was obtained at 14 T in Ni 54 Mn 21 Ga 25 alloy in temperature range 316–318 K and stress 8.6 MPa. The new variant of the layered functional composite actuator scheme based on the alloys with MFCSME is suggested. The proposed functional composite combines the layers of the alloys with positive and negative temperature shifts of martensitic transition temperature in magnetic field. It is argued that this combination of the alloys can improve the performance of the composite actuators driven by MFCSME, particularly, it can provide higher generated force, actuation stroke, sensitivity to magnetic field and frequency of actuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of an external magnetic field on the dynamic and static properties of a highly anisotropic Ising antiferromagnet is studied. • It has been established that, depending on the magnitude of the magnetic field in the system, the realization of both dipole (FM) and more complex states (QU, LS) is possible. • The types of phase transitions are determined and the phase diagram is constructed for a strongly anisotropic Ising antiferromagnet as a function of the magnitude of the magnetic field. The effect of an external magnetic field on both the static and spectral properties of a highly anisotropic Ising antiferromagnet with magnetic ion spin S = 1 is studied. It is shown that at sufficiently low fields and large values of the single-ion anisotropy constant, a state with a zero value of the average magnetic moment (at the site), which is characterized by tensor order parameters (QU phase), is realized in the system. A further increase in the magnetic field turns the magnet (via a first-order transition) into the "quasi-ferrmagnetic" state. In this state is characterized by the fact that one of the sublattices is magnetized to saturation, whereas in the second the average magnetic moment (per site) is equal to zero. We called this phase the LS (low spin) phase. A further increase in the field leads to the realization of a ferromagnetic phase. All phase transitions are first-order transitions, as evidenced by the behavior of their spectra of elementary excitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]