Magnetocaloric alloys useful for magnetic refrigeration applications

US11225703B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• General Engineering & Research LLC · US
• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventors

• Robin Ihnfeldt · San Diego, US
• Sungho Jin · Millington, US
• Renkun Chen · San Diego, US
• Xia Xu · Frederick, US
• Elizabeth Caldwell · Indianapolis, US
• Eunjeong KIM · Seongnam-si, KR

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 8, 2018
• Grant date: Jan 18, 2022
• Expiry date: Nov 17, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02B30/00
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

This invention relates to magnetocaloric materials comprising ternary alloys useful for magnetic refrigeration applications. The disclosed ternary alloys are Cerium, Neodymium, and/or Gadolinium based compositions that are fairly inexpensive, and in some cases exhibit only 2nd order magnetic phase transitions near their curie temperature, thus there are no thermal and structural hysteresis losses. This makes these compositions attractive candidates for use in magnetic refrigeration applications. The performance of the disclosed materials is similar or better to many of the known expensive rare-earth based magnetocaloric materials.