Research report 2015 - Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH

Understanding the complex interchange of magnetic and lattice excitations opens new routes in the design of innovative cooling materials

Authors
Hickel, Tilmann; Körmann, Fritz; Dutta, Biswanath; Grabowski, Blazej; Neugebauer, Jörg
Departments
Computergestütztes Materialdesign
Summary
The systematic search of new materials solely based on computers as well as the development of the required highly accurate simulation tools is a major research topic at the MPI für Eisenforschung. In the present article, the approach is introduced using the example of magnetocaloric materials, which are explored to achieve new and energy efficient cooling strategies. For this purpose the complex interaction of two thermodynamic excitation mechanisms – the vibration of atoms in a crystalline lattice and the disorder of magnetic moments – is analyzed and systematically exploited.

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