Enhanced magnetic refrigerant capacity power in Dy3Ni2 melt-spun ribbons by controlling the solidification rate.

• Dy 3 Ni 2 ingots and melt-spun ribbons were fabricated. • The ductility and coercive force were enhanced obviously with increasing the melt-spinning rate. • The phase transition temperature was tuned successfully in a range between 40 and 60 K by controlling the solidification rate. • A significant enhancement of refrigerant capacity power and an increase of the full-width-at-half maximum of the temperature dependence of magnetic entropy change curve were obtained in Dy 3 Ni 2 ribbons. Both mechanical and magnetic properties of Dy 3 Ni 2 ingots and melt-spun ribbons were investigated in the present work. The melt spinning rate has an important effect on their performance. The higher the melt spinning rate, the better the ductility, the larger the coercive force of ribbons. With increasing the spinning rate, the intensity of the diffraction peak suggesting the presence of polycrystalline becomes weaker and weaker, and eventually disappeared. The magnetic phase transition temperature is decreased from 66 K to 38 K with increasing the spinning rate. All samples undergo a second order paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition. The full-width-at-half maximum of the temperature dependence of magnetic entropy change curve in Dy 3 Ni 2 ribbons was much larger than that of Dy 3 Ni 2 ingot. So a high refrigerant capacity power about 530 J.kg −1 of Dy 3 Ni 2 ribbons was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]