arXiv subjects

João S. Amaral

Publications and source records attributed to João S. Amaral.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Self-thermometry measurements of the adiabatic temperature change in first-order phase transition magnetocaloric materials

Accurately measuring the magnetocaloric effect is necessary to foster the development of magnetic refrigeration devices. However, current methods are inconvenient, requiring different instruments to measure each individual property or a custom-made setup. By measuring the time-varying magnetization in a commercially available VersaLab\textsuperscript{\textregistered} PPMS\textsuperscript{\textregistered} from Quantum Design, we have determined the adiabatic temperature change ($Δ$T$_{\textrm{ad}}$) of the first-order phase transition material Gd$_5$Si$_2$Ge$_2$, for a magnetic field change of 0 to 1 T, under high vacuum ($<$ 0.1 mTorr). For each temperature and magnetic field, the equilibrium magnetization is used as the magnetization-to-temperature conversion curve, allowing us to extend the validity of a previously proposed technique to the first-order phase transition material Gd$_5$Si$_2$Ge$_2$, which exhibits significant hysteresis. Our method thus enables full characterization (magnetic entropy change, adiabatic temperature change, and heat capacity) of any magnetocaloric material, whether it has a first-order or a second-order phase transition, using a single instrument. Comparing to a directly measured $Δ$T$_{\textrm{ad}}$, our method resulted in a peak $Δ$T$_{\textrm{ad}}$ value of 4.47 K, within 1\% of the directly measured value for a sample of the same composition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

On the nature of the (de)coupling of the magnetostructural transition in Er$_5$Si$_4$

In this report, a successful thermodynamical model was employed to understand the structural transition in Er$_5$Si$_4$, able to explain the decoupling of the magnetic and structural transition. This was achieved by the DFT calculations which were used to determine the energy differences at 0 K, using a LSDA+U approximation. It was found that the M structure as the stable phase at low temperatures as verified experimentally with a $ΔF_0 = -$0.262 eV. Finally, it was achieved a variation of Seebeck coefficient ($\sim$ 6 $μ$V) at the structural transition which allow to conclude that the electronic entropy variation is negligible in the transition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Spontaneous magnetization above $T_C$ in polycrystalline La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ and La$_{0.7}$Ba$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$

In the present work, spontaneous magnetization is observed in the inverse magnetic susceptibility of La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ and La$_{0.7}$Ba$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ compounds above $T_C$ up to a temperature $T^*$. From information gathered from neutron diffraction, dilatometry, and high-field magnetization data, we suggest that $T^*$ is related to the transition temperature of the low-temperature (high magnetic field) magnetic phase. In the temperature region between $T^*$ and $T_C$, the application of a magnetic field drives the system from the high-temperature to low-temperature magnetic phases, the latter possessing a higher magnetization.

cond-mat.str-el↗