Iron-Nitride Alloys as Rare-Earth-Free Permanent Magnets and Magnetocaloric Materials
High-throughput density functional theory screening of FexN1-x compounds identifies 49 stable ferromagnetic iron-nitride phases, of which 15 are permanent-magnet candidates with magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy above 0.4 MJ/m3 (orthorhombic Fe2N qualifying as a hard magnet) and 40 are giant-magnetocaloric candidates flagged by the magnetic-deformation proxy. Students learn how anisotropy energy and saturation magnetization position a material in the permanent-magnet application spectrum between rare-earth magnets and ferrites, and how a lattice-deformation proxy screens candidates for magnetocaloric refrigeration.
Unveiling potential candidates for rare-earth-free permanent magnet and magnetocaloric effect
Based on high-throughput density functional theory calculations, we have found 49 ferromag-netic cases in FexN1-x (0<x<1) compounds, focusing especially on permanent magnet and giant magnetocaloric e…