Structural, electronic, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties in metallic antiperovskite compound Mn3GaC

Abstract The structural, electronic, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of the metallic antiperovskite compound Mn3GaC were investigated using several theoretical methods such as: First principle calculations, Monte Carlo simulations and mean field theory. The metallic antiperovskite compound Mn3GaC exhibits a second-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition around TC = 249 K. Using the first principle calculations, the magnetic moment and the exchange coupling interactions values are 1.37 μB and J1 = 35.78meV, J2 = 40.16meV, respectively. The total magnetization, the susceptibility and the specific heat of this compound are calculated. The critical temperature obtained is in good agreement with the experimental results. Obviously, the large MCE with no hysteresis loss is obtained around TC. The maximum values of the magnetic entropy change (ΔSmag), adiabatic temperature change (ΔTad) and the relative cooling power (RCP) are 13.41 J/kg.K, 15.96 K, 748 J/kg respectively, under applied an external magnetic field of h = 5.0 T.