Interplay of Magnetism and Magnetocaloric Effect in Ni–Co–Mn–Ti Heusler Alloys: Theory and Experiment
摘要
We investigate magnetocaloric properties and phase transitions in Ni36.5Co13.5Mn35Ti15 Heusler alloy using combined experimental and theoretical methods. The system shows coupled magnetostructural transitions between ferromagnetic (FM) austenite and ferrimagnetic (FiM) martensite phases near room temperature. Calculations reveal that Mn1(2)–Co(Ni) FM interactions stabilize high-moment austenite, while Mn1–Mn2 AFM coupling drives low-moment martensite formation. Our multiscale computational approach, incorporating Heisenberg magnetism, Blume–Emery–Griffiths lattice interactions, and their coupling, successfully reproduces the experimental observation of both conventional (ΔTad > 0) and inverse (ΔTad < 0) magnetocaloric effects near the Curie and structural transition temperatures, respectively. Experiments confirm significant inverse MCE (–1.58 K heating/–0.6 K cooling) under 1.8 T with kinetic hysteresis. Results provide key insights into magnetostructural coupling in this promising cooling material.