Manufacture and characterization of HoErCo medium-entropy alloy microwires with excellent magnetic entropy change.

• The novel medium-entropy alloys were fabricated by melt-extraction and exhibit excellent magnetic entropy change. • The microwires show typical amorphous characteristics and second-order phase transition. • The microstructure of microwires near room temperature is studied by in-situ HEXRD. A melt-extracted HoErCo medium-entropy alloy (MEA) with large magnetic entropy change and excellent magnetic refrigerant capacity is successfully designed in this study. The microstructure evolution of these microwires near room temperature is studied by an in-situ high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction (HEXRD). The wires show typical amorphous characteristics during room temperature to 250 K. For a field change of 5 T, the maximum magnetic entropy change (-Δ S M max) of the microwires reaches a maximum value of 15.0 J•kg−1 K−1. Magnetization measurements revealed a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition at T C ~16 K. The refrigerant capacity (RC) and relative cooling power (RCP) are 527 J•kg−1 and 600 J•kg−1, respectively. This investigation highlights the potential of HoErCo MEA microwires as promising magnetocaloric effect materials for cryogenic applications of magnetic cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]