Abstract
The magnetocaloric effect of Ni 43 Mn 46 - x V x Sn 11 (x = 0.00, 0.75, 1.25, 1.50) alloys has been investigated. It is revealed that partial substitution of V for Mn dramatically enhances the magnetic entropy change from 15.4 J/kg.K for x=0 to 36.1 J/kg.K for x=1.25 under a magnetic field of 3 T. A large refrigeration capacity up to 164.2 J/kg for x=1.50 indicates that the V-doped Ni 4346 Sn 11 alloys are promising candidates for the application in magnetic refrigeration. The origin of large magnetic entropy change and the variation of phase transformation temperature were discussed in terms of d electron density. © 2012 IEEE.