Reduction of thermal hysteresis and improvement of magnetocaloric properties in ball milled Mn0.98CoGe

Abstract The Mn0.98CoGe compound can be as alternative refrigerants due to its low cost and large magentocaloric effect near room temperature. However, the narrow work temperature range and the large thermal hysteresis restrict its application. In this work, we investigate the influence of ball milling (BM) time on the thermal hysteresis and magnetocaloric properties of Mn0.98CoGe compound. Results show that the thermal hysteresis of Mn0.98CoGe reduced markedly after BM 5 h, and disappeared completely after BM 12 h. Furthermore, the magnetic entropy change (ΔSM) over a wider temperature span are observed, which leads to the relative cooling power (RCP) of BM-12 h sample as high as those typical refrigerants.