Abstract
The development of new high-performance refrigerants has been highly desired from the viewpoints of energy efficiency and environmental safety. Recently, we developed promising magnetic refrigerant compounds La(Fe1-xSix)13 (0.86≤x≤0.90), that show the first-order of itinerant-electron metamagnetic transition from the paramagnetic state to the ferromagnetic state in applied magnetic fields. By adjusting the hydrogen concentration in La(Fe1-xSix)13Hy, the Curie temperature TC and the working temperature for cooling are controlled covering room temperature. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the present compounds is excellent. It should also be emphasized that the elements of the present compounds are very cheap economically and completely harmless to humans.
