Magnetocaloric effect for the topological semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ due to the antiferromagnetic coupling of the bulk and surface spin-polarized phases

TL;DR

This study explores the magnetocaloric effect in the topological Weyl semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$, revealing a novel hysteresis inversion linked to antiferromagnetic coupling between bulk and surface states, with implications for energy-efficient magnetic cooling.

Contribution

It experimentally demonstrates a new magnetocaloric effect feature at the hysteresis inversion temperature caused by surface-bulk antiferromagnetic coupling in a topological semimetal.

Findings

Identification of a second $ ext{Δ}S$ peak at the hysteresis inversion temperature

Evidence of antiferromagnetic coupling between bulk and surface states

Potential for energy-efficient magnetic cooling applications

Abstract

We experimentally investigate magnetocaloric effect for the topological magnetic Weyl semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ in a wide temperature range. The isothermal magnetic entropy change $\Delta S$ is calculated from the experimental magnetization curves by using Maxwell relation. In addition to the expected $\Delta S$ peak at the Curie temperature $T_C$, we obtain another one at the temperature $T_{inv}$ of the hysteresis inversion, which is the main experimental result. The inverted hysteresis usually originates from the antiferromagnetic coupling between two magnetic phases. For Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ topological magnetic Weyl semimetal these phases are the ferromagnetic bulk and the spin-polarized topological surface states. Thus, the pronounced magnetocaloric effect at $T_{inv}$ is determined by the bulk magnetization switching by the exchange bias field of the surface spin-polarizad phase, in contrast to the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition at the Curie temperature $T_C$. For possible applications of magnetocaloric effect, Weyl semimetals open a new way to shift from ferromagnetic to the antiferromagnetic systems without loss of efficiency, but with higher reversibility and with smaller energy costs.