Magnetic states stabilization in Ni51Mn33.4In15.6 Heusler alloy

Abstract The rate-independent stabilization of magnetic states with iterations in a Heusler alloy has been studied. The direct measurement of the adiabatic temperature change, ΔTad, of a Ni51Mn33.4In15.6 alloy near the magnetostructural phase transition is presented. The adiabatic temperature change at a given temperature within the temperature range of the magnetostructural transition is history dependent and varies considerably with the iteration count of the field cycle. The data show the transition from the low magnetization state to the high magnetization state during low to high (L–H) temperature change direction and from high magnetization to low magnetization state during high to low (H–L) temperature change direction require several field cycles to stabilize the ΔTad measurement, similar to the accommodation phenomenon in hysteretic materials. In the mixed magnetic state inside the first-order transition, both low and high magnetization portions of the alloy exist and it varies considerably with the induced fields. This original observation emphasizes that it is incorrect to assess the performance of a magnetic refrigeration system through a single measurement, and that achieving a stable, utilizable, adiabatic temperature change requires several field-induced transitions.