Magnetocaloric Materials for Solid-State Refrigeration and Hydrogen Liquefaction
This community develops magnetic materials that change temperature when exposed to a magnetic field, enabling solid-state cooling systems for industrial refrigeration, cryogenic applications, and hydrogen liquefaction.
The research focuses on perovskite oxides, particularly lanthanum manganites doped with strontium or calcium, and rare-earth intermetallic compounds. Key recurring themes include the magnetocaloric effect, magnetic phase transitions, and critical behavior near these transitions. Specific material systems include La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, gadolinium-based alloys, and double perovskites. The work investigates structural properties, electrical transport, and entropy changes to optimize cooling performance. Applications range from room-temperature refrigeration to cryogenic cooling for hydrogen liquefaction and sub-kelvin scientific instruments. Recent efforts also explore high-entropy oxides and rare-earth-free alternatives to reduce reliance on critical materials.
The community is most heavily represented in research on Lanthanum, comprising 1.6% of all Lanthanum research, and Gadolinium, comprising 0.6% of all Gadolinium research. Manganese research also features prominently, with 0.4% of its total output falling within this group.
There are 6,230 papers in this community, primarily published in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, and Journal of Applied Physics.
Recent work includes refrigeration down to 0.16 K using frustrated magnets, hydrogen liquefaction via magnetic refrigeration, and the development of high-temperature solid-state heat pumps.