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Cooling without warming: New Materials for Environmentally Friendly Refrigeration

POSTER

Abstract

Improving energy efficiency and mitigating climate change are current topics of significant global interest. Magnetic refrigeration can help in the realization of these goals. Unlike the conventional refrigerators, which use greenhouse effect related gases, thereby contributing to global warming, magnetic refrigeration is environmentally friendly. In addition, this technology is about 20-30{\%} more energy efficient than the current cooling technology. Magnetic refrigeration technology utilizes the phenomenon of magnetocaloric effect (MCE), the process of heating and cooling of magnetic material when exposed to an external magnetic field. Magnetic materials exhibiting large MCE near room temperature are desired for application in this technology. In this study, we prepare a series of Mn0.5Fe0.5$+$xNi1-xSi0.94Al0.06 materials with potential application in magnetic refrigeration, using a conventional arc-melting technique. These materials are composed of cheap and non-toxic elements that address some drawbacks associated with several previously developed materials. The structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of these materials will be presented.

Authors

  • Babajide Akintunde

    Department of Physics, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056

  • Samantha Hudson

    Liverpool, Konkoly, STScI, PMO, SKA, Yale, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Western Michigan University, School of Physics, Peking University, NSCL, Department of Physics, Korea University, Rare Isotope Science Project, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, Department of Physics, Western Michigan University, Korea University, Riken, Kyoto University, NCSL, New Mexico State University, Jefferson Lab, Lebanon Valley College, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Youngstown State University, Cleveland State University, Department of Physics, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY 14222 USA, Department of Physics, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY 14222

  • Samantha Hudson

    Liverpool, Konkoly, STScI, PMO, SKA, Yale, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Western Michigan University, School of Physics, Peking University, NSCL, Department of Physics, Korea University, Rare Isotope Science Project, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, Department of Physics, Western Michigan University, Korea University, Riken, Kyoto University, NCSL, New Mexico State University, Jefferson Lab, Lebanon Valley College, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Youngstown State University, Cleveland State University, Department of Physics, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY 14222 USA, Department of Physics, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY 14222

  • Mahmud Khan

    Department of Physics, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056