Novel magnetocaloric materials: not only for cooling applications

This article discusses the applications of magnetocaloric materials. A magnetocaloric material offers a direct, intrinsically highly efficient link between the quantum-mechanical spin system (of the electrons) and the thermal energy of the lattice. The largest heating and cooling effects are observed when the magnetization of a material strongly depends on temperature. Giant-magnetocaloric materials were recently discovered that show much larger magnetic entropy changes at elevated temperature. If the ideal magneto-caloric materials can be found, and then suitably combined with a magnet, a solenoid and a source of heat, the latter can be converted into electrical current in a simple and efficient manner.