Cyclic Structural Ordering Induced by High Energy Ball Milling in a Fe2.1Cr0.9Al Magnetocaloric Alloy

•Cyclic ordering was observed in high energy ball milled Fe2.1Cr0.9Al alloys.•Stored energy during milling was evaluated using a reaction rate model.•Enhancement in magnetization and relative cooling power was noted.•Extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies reveal short range order.•Ball milling can effectively improve magnetic and magnetocaloric properties.