Development of magnetic refrigeration materials andtechnology

Magnetic refrigeration technology based on magnetic phase transition has great application potential in solid refrigeration due to its advantages of energy saving, high efficiency, environmental protection, stability and reliability. It has great significance for realizing the transformation and upgrading of refrigeration industry. Magnetic refrigeration technology has gotten certain achievements in materials and systems after decades of research and accumulation. Many magnetic refrigeration materials with practical value have been developed, and a variety of high-efficiency refrigeration system structures have been designed, which promoting the application process of magnetic refrigeration technology. This paper introduces the thermodynamic principle of magnetic refrigeration, the research progress of magnetic refrigeration materials and technology. Several kinds of magnetocaloric materials with promising application prospects were emphatically introduced. Room temperature magnetic refrigeration materials mainly include Gd-based, La-Fe-Si and Mn-based materials etc., among which La-Fe-Si series of materials with independent intellectual property rights in China is considered to be one of the most promising magnetic refrigerant materials. Afterwards low temperature magnetic refrigeration materials mainly include binary, ternary, quaternary rare earth intermetallic compounds and rare earth metal oxides. It describs the magnetic refrigeration technology and its research progress of room temperature and low temperature and analyzes the structures and characteristics of different types of magnetic refrigeration systems. The development trend of magnetic refrigeration materials and technology future is also prospected at the end of this paper.