The magnetocaloric effect is the change in temperature of a material as a result of the alignment of its magnetic spins that occurs on exposure to an external magnetic field. The phenomenon forms the basis for magnetic refrigeration, a concept purported to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than conventional refrigeration systems. In 1997, a 'giant' magnetocaloric effect, between 270 K and 300 K, was reported in Gd5Ge2Si2, demonstrating its potential as a near-room-temperature magnetic refrigerant. However, large hysteretic losses (which make magnetic refrigeration less efficient) occur in the same temperature range. Here we report the reduction (by more than 90 per cent) of these hysteretic losses by alloying the compound with a small amount of iron. This has the additional benefit of shifting the magnetic entropy change peak (a measure of the refrigerator's optimal operating temperature) from 275 K to 305 K, and broadening its width. Although the addition of iron does not significantly affect the refrigerant capacity of the material, a greater net capacity is obtained for the iron-containing alloy when the hysteresis losses are accounted for. The iron-containing alloy is thus a much-improved magnetic refrigerant for near-room-temperature applications.

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The effect of substrate orientation on the morphologies of epitaxial self-assembled nanostructures was demonstrated using multiferroic 0.67PbTiO3-0.33CoFe2O4 thin films. The two-phase composite films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on single crystal SrTiO3 substrates having (001) and (110) orientations. The nanostructures of both orientations consisted of vertical rod- or platelet-like columns of CoFe2O4 dispersed in a PbTiO3 matrix. For the (001) orientation the platelet habits were parallel to the {110} planes, whereas for the (110) orientation the platelets were parallel to the {111} planes. The differences were explained using a thermodynamic theory of heterophase structures.

The electrical relaxation associated with alkali diffusion in Na30.3Si8, glass was studied from 0.2 Hz to 700 kHz a t -lo to 163°C. A formalism for analysis of electrical relaxation in conducting dielectrics which associates the nonexponential decay of the electric field to zero and the dispersions in the dielectric constant and the Conductivity with a distribution of relaxation times for the electric field was developed and is shown to be in qualitative accord with current molecular theories of electrical relaxation in alkali silicate glasses. A relation between the dc conductivity, the limiting highfrequency dielectric constant, and the average electric field or conductivity relaxation time was derived and is verified experimentally for the Na20.3Si02 glass. The distribution of electric-field relaxation times for the glass is broad, asymmetric on a logarithmic scale, and weighted in favor of the shorter relaxation times; the distribution narrows with increasing temperature. A reduced electrical relaxation curve which can be used to compare electrical and mechanical relaxations in IVa20.3SiOL glass was generated.

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