The reversibility of the inverse magnetocaloric effect in Mn2−Cr Sb0.95Ga0.05

Abstract Mn2−xCrxSb exhibits an antiferromagnetic-ferrimagnetic transition of which the temperature can be adjusted by the Cr concentration. The transition temperature is at room temperature for x = 0.13, but an additional ferromagnetic MnSb impurity phase is usually inevitable at this concentration. To suppress the occurrence of this phase unfavorable for the magnetocaloric effect, we partially replace Sb by Ga. We show that Mn2−xCrxSb0.95Ga0.05 alloys have a narrow transitional hysteresis and exhibit the inverse magnetocaloric effect. We present here results on structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties using isothermal magnetization and direct adiabatic temperature-change measurements. We find in particular for the sample with x = 0.13 a nearly hysteresis-free transition with a 2 K temperature-change around room temperature making it attractive for magnetic cooling technology.