Magnetocaloric effect in Fe-based antiperovskite compound Sn0.6NFe3.4

The sustainable development puts forward higher requirements for the traditional refrigeration technology in terms of environmental protection and energy efficiency. The magnetic refrigeration is regarded as promising refrigeration technologies with important application prospects. Herein, we report the crystal structure, magnetic properties, and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of antiperovskite compound Sn0.6NFe3.4. The obtained appropriate paramagnetic Curie temperature (TC), sharp transition process from ferromagnetic (FM) to paramagnetic (PM) phase, and large magnetization suggest several significant characteristics of MCE. A quite broad distribution of magnetic entropy change (−ΔSM) is observed, and the maximum value of − ΔSM is found to be 1.038 J/kg K with the magnetic field change ΔH = 45 kOe. Moreover, the relative cooling power (RCP) for Sn0.6NFe3.4 can reach 187.71 J/kg at ΔH = 45 kOe. Compared with other conventional magnetic refrigeration materials, such as metal and amorphous alloys, Sn0.6NFe3.4 reveals a considerable MCE as well as a more obvious price advantage. Therefore, we provide that the obtained results may draw attention of researches for the development of magnetic refrigeration devices. [Display omitted]