The Magnetic Phase Diagram And Large Reversible Room-Temperature Magnetocaloric Effect In Antiperovskite Compounds Zn1-Xsnxcfe3 (0 <= X <= 1)

We report the magnetic phase diagram of antiperovskite compounds Zn1-xSnxCFe3 (0 <= x <= 1). The effects of the ratio of Zn/Sn on the structure, magnetic and electrical transport properties have been investigated systematically. With increasing the Sn content x, the lattice constant increases while both the Curie temperature (T-C) and the saturated magnetization decrease gradually. All the resistivity curves of Zn1-xSnxCFe3 show a metal-like behavior in measured temperature range (2-350 K). In particular, the T-2-power-law dependence of the electrical resistivity is obtained at low temperatures for all samples with x <= 0.3. It is noteworthy that, for x = 0.1, the T-C is tuned just at the room temperature (similar to 300 K). Around T-C, the magnetocaloric effect is considerably large with a magnetic entropy change of 2.78 J/kg K (Delta H = 45 kOe) as well as a relative cooling power (RCP) of 320 J/kg (Delta H = 45 kOe). Considering the considerably large RCP, suitable working temperature, inexpensive and innoxious raw materials, Zn0.9Sn0.1CFe3 is suggested to be a promising candidate for practical application in magnetic refrigeration. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4752275]