International. 
A new metal alloy that does not use rare earth elements could lead magnetic cooling systems to become commercially viable.
Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology have studied a new metal alloy that could be used as a magnetocaloric material for magnetic cooling. This study, published in Scientific Reports, led to an iron-based high-entropy alloy as a component of state-of-the-art magnetic cooling.
The alloy is a more environmentally friendly, easily accessible and cheaper alternative to metals made from expensive rare earth elements. The NiFeCoCrPdx family claims to exhibit a second magnetic phase transition whose critical temperature is tunable from 100K to well above room temperature. An improvement of close to 40% of the cooling capacity is said to be achievable.
Although rare earth materials tend to exhibit higher entropy changes, they can suffer from cracking and fatigue, severely limiting their service life. So-called high entropy alloys (HEAs) are a class of emerging transition metal alloys that have great potential for advanced manufacturing, and can affect magnetocalorics. They are said to offer supply chain and cost stability, as well as superior mechanical properties such as ductility, corrosion resistance, machinability, all of which facilitate manufacturing and reinforce the longevity of the product.
Fe1Co1Ni1Cr1Pdx is an example of a HEA system with tunable magnetic properties.
