Observation of hydrostatic-pressure-modulated giant caloric effect and electronic topological transition

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how hydrostatic pressure can significantly modulate phase transitions and induce electronic topological transitions in a magnetic martensitic alloy, leading to giant caloric effects and insights into pressure-driven phenomena.

Contribution

It reports the first observation of pressure-induced electronic topological transition in a martensitic system and its impact on caloric effects and material properties.

Findings

Pressure drives martensitic transition temperature from 339 K to 273 K.

Pressure induces a sudden drop in saturation magnetization around 0.6 GPa.

Electronic topological transition causes significant changes in density of states and lattice parameters.

Abstract

Phase transition is a fundamental phenomenon in condensed matter physics, in which states of matter transform to each other with various critical behaviors under different conditions. The magnetic martensitic transformation features significant multi-caloric effects that benefit the solid-state cooling or heat pumping. Meanwhile, the electronic topological transition (ETT) driven by pressure has been rarely reported in martensitic systems. Here, the modulation effects of hydrostatic pressure on phase transitions in a magnetic martensitic alloy are reported. Owing to the huge volume expansion during the transition, the martensitic transition temperature is driven from 339 to 273 K by pressure within 1 GPa, resulting in highly tunable giant baro- and magneto-caloric effects (BCE and MCE) in a wide working temperature range. Interestingly, an ETT was further induced by pressure in the martensite phase, with a sudden drop of the measured saturation magnetization around 0.6 GPa. First-principles calculations reveal a sharp change in the density of states (DOS) due to the orbit shift around the Fermi level at the same pressure and reproduce the experimental observation of magnetization. Besides, the ETT is accompanied by remarkable changes in the lattice parameters and the unit-cell orthorhombicity. The study provides insight into pressure-modulated exotic phase-transition phenomena in magnetic martensitic systems.