Layered Ferromagnetic Structure Caused by the Proximity Effect and Interlayer Charge Transfer for LaNiO3/LaMnO3 Superlattices.

Magnetic proximity-induced magnetism in paramagnetic LaNiO3 (LNO) has spurred intensive investigations in the past decade. However, no consensus has been reached so far regarding the magnetic order in LNO layers in relevant heterostructures. This paper reports a layered ferromagnetic structure for the (111)-oriented LNO/LaMnO3 (LMO) superlattices. It is found that each period of the superlattice consisted of an insulating LNO-interfacial phase (five unit cells in thickness, ∼1.1 nm), a metallic LNO-inner phase, a poorly conductive LMO-interfacial phase (three unit cells in thickness, ∼0.7 nm), and an insulating LMO-inner phase. All four of these phases are ferromagnetic, showing different magnetizations. The Mn-to-Ni interlayer charge transfer is responsible for the emergence of a layered magnetic structure, which may cause magnetic interaction across the LNO/LMO interface and double exchange within the LMO-interfacial layer. This work indicates that the proximity effect is an effective means of manipulating the magnetic state and associated properties of complex oxides.

Post-discharge Follow-up of Standardized Management for Patients with Post-stroke Cognitive Impairment.

Context: Severe cases of stroke can lead to cognitive impairment or even dementia. The most critical factor related to cognitive impairment after strokes is patients' lack of understanding about or attention to their conditions. Strengthening standardized management post-stroke has become a common goal for clinical workers and patients. Objective: The study intended to explore, during post-discharge follow-up, the effectiveness of standardized management of patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment, which could provide guidance for patients and doctors to improve patients' follow-up plans. Design: The research team conducted a randomized controlled trial. Setting: The study took place at Huangshi Central Hospital, an Affiliated Hospital of Hubei Polytechnic University, Edong Healthcare Group, in Huangshi, Hubei, China. Participants: Participants were 112 patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment at the hospital between February 2021 and March 2023. Intervention: The research team randomly divided the participants into two groups, using a random-number-table method: (1) a control group with 56 participants who received routine management and (2) an intervention group with 56 participants who received standardized management. Outcome Measures: At baseline and 6 months postintervention, the research team measured participants': (1) cognitive function using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), (2) quality of life (QoL) using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire, and (3) self-efficacy using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). At one and 6 months postintervention, the team analyzed participants' medication adherence using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Results: At baseline, no significant difference (P > .05) existed between the groups in the scores: (1) for cognitive function on the MMSE or MoCA, (2) for the physiological, psychological, social, and environmental domains and the total score on the WHOQOL-BREF, or (3) for self-efficacy on the GSES scores. At 6 months postintervention, the intervention group's scores were significantly higher than those of the control group: (1) on the MMSE and MoCA (both P < .001), (2) on the four domains and total score on the WHOQOL-BREF (all P < .001), and (3) on the GSES (P < .001). At one month and six months postintervention, the intervention group's score for medication adherence on the MMAS-8 was significantly higher than those of the control group (both P < .001). Conclusions: Standardized management for patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment provided beneficial outcomes in improving their cognitive function, QoL, self-efficacy, and medication adherence, and the research team highly recommends it for wide application in clinical practice.

Direct Observation of Magnetic Skyrmions and Their Current-Induced Dynamics in Epitaxial Single-Crystal Oxide Films.

Magnetic skyrmions are scarcely investigated for single-crystal quality films, for which skyrmions may have a remarkable performance. Even in the limited studies in this aspect, the skyrmions are usually probed by the topological Hall effect, missing important information on dynamic properties. Here, we present a comprehensive investigation on the generation/manipulation of magnetic skyrmions in La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 single-crystal films. Using the technique of magnetic force microscopy, the current-driven skyrmion dynamics are directly observed. Unlike isolated skyrmions produced by magnetic field alone, closely packed skyrmions can be generated by electric pulses in a magnetic background, with a high density (∼60/µm2) and a small size (dozens of nanometers). The threshold current moving skyrmions is ∼2.3 × 104 A/cm2, 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than that required by metallic multilayers or van der Waals ferromagnetic heterostructures. Our work demonstrates the great potential of single-crystal oxide films in developing skyrmion-based devices.

The In Situ Optimization of Spinterface in Polymer Spin Valve by Electronic Phase Separated Oxides.

Tailoring the interface between organic semiconductor (OSC) and ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes, that is, the spinterface, offers a promising way to manipulate and optimize the magnetoresistance (MR) ratio of the organic spin valve (OSV) devices. However, the non-destructive in situ regulation method of spinterface is seldom reported, limiting its theoretical research and further application in organic spintronics. (La2/3 Pr1/3 )5/8 Ca3/8 MnO3 (LPCMO), a recently developed FM material, exhibits a strong electronic phase separation (EPS) property, and can be employed as an effective in situ spinterface adjuster. Herein, we fabricated a LPCMO-based polymer spin valve with a vertical configuration of LPCMO/poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)/Co, and emphasized the important role of LPCMO/P3HT spinterface in MR regulation. A unique competitive spin-scattering mechanism generated by the EPS characteristics of LPCMO inside the polymer spin valve was discovered by abstracting the anomalous non-monotonic MR value as a function of pre-set magnetic field (Bpre ) and temperature (T). Particularly, a record-high MR ratio of 93% was achieved in polymer spin valves under optimal conditions. These findings highlight the importance of interdisciplinary research between organic spintronics and EPS oxides and offer a novel scenario for multi-level storage via spinterface manipulation.

Enhancing Interfacial Ferromagnetism and Magnetic Anisotropy of CaRuO3 /SrTiO3 Superlattices via Substrate Orientation.

Artificial oxide heterostructures have provided promising platforms for the exploration of emergent quantum phases with extraordinary properties. One of the most interesting phenomena is the interfacial magnetism formed between two non-magnetic compounds. Here, a robust ferromagnetic phase emerged at the (111)-oriented heterointerface between paramagnetic CaRuO3 and diamagnetic SrTiO3 is reported. The Curie temperature is as high as ≈155 K and the saturation magnetization is as large as ≈1.3 µB per formula unit for the (111)-CaRuO3 /SrTiO3 superlattices, which are obviously superior to those of the (001)-oriented counterparts and are comparable to the typical itinerant ferromagnet SrRuO3 . A strong in-plane magnetic anisotropy with six-fold symmetry is further revealed by the anisotropic magnetoresistance measurements, presenting a large in-plane anisotropic field of 3.0-3.6 T. More importantly, the magnetic easy axis of the (111)-oriented superlattices can be effectively tuned from 〈 11 2 ¯ $11\overline{2}$ 1〉 to 〈 1 1 ¯ 0 $1 \bar{1}0$ 〉 directions by increasing the layer thickness of SrTiO3 . The findings demonstrate a feasible approach to enhance the interface coupling effect by varying the stacking orientation of oxide heterostructures. The tunable magnetic anisotropy also shows potential applications in low-power-consumption or exchange spring devices.

Spin-charge interconversion of two-dimensional electron gases at oxide interfaces.

Oxide two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is a low-dimensional carrier system formed at the interface of oxide heterojunctions with strong and tunable Rashba spin-orbit coupling which makes oxide 2DEG an ideal platform for converting spin current and charge current. This review provides a summary of the recent advances on the 2DEGs at oxide interfaces for spin-charge interconversion. On one hand, we analyze properties and the efficiency of the spin-to-charge conversion through different ways of spin current injection. On the other hand, the conversion of charge current to spin current under different experimental methods has been summarized. These research achievements provide perspectives and methods for understanding and regulating the spin-charge interconversion of the 2DEG at the oxide interface.

Systematic review and network meta-analysis of different types of emollient for the prevention of atopic dermatitis in infants.

Prophylactic application of emollients has been an effective strategy against infant atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the difference of different emollients is unknown. We performed this network meta-analysis to compare different emollients in preventing infant AD. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library to identify relevant studies from their inception through 28 February, 2022. We evaluated the quality of eligible studies using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Data analysis was performed using STATA 14.0. Eleven studies were included for data analysis. Direct meta-analysis suggested that early application of emollients effectively prevented AD development in high-risk infants (risk ratio [RR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47 to 0.88). Network meta-analysis suggested that emollient emulsion might the better option for preventing infant AD development, with a surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of 82.6% for all populations, 78.0% for high-risk populations and 79.2% for populations with food sensitization. Moreover, subjects receiving emollients more frequently experienced adverse events. Overall, early application of emollients is an effective strategy for preventing AD development in high-risk infants and emollient emulsion may be the optimal type. Future study with well-designed and large scale are warranted to validate our findings.

Interleukin-37 inhibits desmoglein-3 endocytosis and keratinocyte dissociation via upregulation of Caveolin-1 and inhibition of the STAT3 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal autoimmune bullous disease primarily caused by acantholysis of keratinocytes attributed to pathogenic desmoglein-3 (Dsg3) autoantibodies. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) reportedly plays important roles in a variety of autoimmune diseases, but its role in PV is not clear. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether IL-37 plays a role in the occurrence and progression of PV. METHODS: HaCaT keratinocytes were stimulated with anti-Dsg3 antibody to establish an in vitro PV model, which was defined as anti-Dsg3 group. Cells incubated with medium without anti-Dsg3 treatment were used as control. IL-37 was cultured with these cells infected with or without lentiviral vector shRNA-Caveolin-1 (sh-Cav-1-LV). Cell dissociation assay and immunocytofluorescence were performed to assess keratinocyte dissociation, keratin retraction and Dsg3 endocytosis. Real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA level of Cav-1, and western blot was used to determine the protein expression of Cav-1, Dsg3, STAT3 and phosphorylated-STAT3 (p-STAT3). RESULTS: The anti-Dsg3 group showed more cell debris, increased keratin retraction, increased Dsg3 endocytosis, reduced Cav-1 expression and co-localization than the control group, while IL-37 treatment neutralized all of these changes. Interestingly, Cav-1 knockdown supressed the inhibitory effect of IL-37 on keratinocyte dissociation and Dsg3 internalization. The protein expression of p-STAT3 was increased in keratinocytes of the PV model but decreased by IL-37. Re-activation of the STAT3 pathway by colivelin supressed the inhibitory effect of IL-37 on keratinocyte dissociation and Dsg3 internalization, along with upregulation of Cav-1 and Dsg3. CONCLUSIONS: IL-37 inhibited keratinocyte dissociation and Dsg3 endocytosis in an in vitro PV model through the upregulating Cav-1 and inhibiting STAT3 pathway.

Antidiarrheal effect of the ethanol extract from Scutellaria barbata and its effect on the contraction of jejunum smooth muscles.

Scutellaria barbata (S. barbata), a traditional herbal medicine used in southern China, possesses anti-inflammatory, antitumor, spasmolytic and expectorant effects. However, there are not many recent studies on its gastrointestinal effects. This study aimed to evaluate the antidiarrheal effect of the ethanol extract of S. barbata (SBE) and its effect on the isolated jejunum smooth muscle. METHODS: The antidiarrheal effect of SBE (doses: 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) on castor oil-induced diarrhea was investigated in vivo. The effect of SBE (0.01-10 mg/mL) on spontaneous or acetylcholine chloride (ACh, 10µM)/KCl (60mM)-induced contraction of isolated rabbit jejunum smooth muscle was examined in vitro. The possible spasmolytic mechanism of SBE (1 and 3mg/mL) was analyzed by accumulating CaCl2 in a Ca2+-free high-K+ (60mM) solution. RESULTS: SBE (125, 250 and 500mg/kg) could delay the initial semi-solid onset time of mice and also reduce the diarrhea index in vivo. Furthermore, SBE (0.01-10mg/mL) could alleviate the spontaneous or ACh/KCl-induced contraction in vitro. SBE (1 and 3mg/mL) also inhibited the contraction induced by CaCl2, and the concentration-response curves of CaCl2 moved downward and to the right, similar to those of verapamil (0.01 and 0.1µM). CONCLUSIONS: SBE exerts antidiarrheal and spasmolytic effects, which provides a pharmacological basis for its use in functional gastrointestinal disorders.

A Distinct Spin Structure and Giant Baromagnetic Effect in MnNiGe Compounds with Fe-Doping.

Spin structure of a magnetic system results from the competition of various exchange couplings. Pressure-driven spin structure evolution, through altering interatomic distance, and hence, electronic structure produces baromagnetic effect (BME), which has potential applications in sensor/actuator field. Here, we report a new spin structure(CyS-AFMb) with antiferromagnetic(AFM) nature in Fe-doped Mn0.87Fe0.13NiGe. Neutron powder diffraction (NPD) under in situ hydrostatic pressure and magnetic field was conducted to reveal the spin configuration and its instabilities. We discovered that a pressure higher than 4 kbar can induce abnormal change of Mn(Fe)-Mn(Fe) distances and transform the CyS-AFMb into a conical spiral ferromagnetic(FM) configuration(45°-CoS-FMa) with easily magnetized but shortened magnetic moment by as much as 22%. The observed BME far exceeds previous reports. Our first-principles calculations provide theoretical supports for the enhanced BME. The compressed lattice by pressure favors the 45°-CoS-FMa and significantly broadened 3d bandwidth of Mn(Fe) atoms, which leads to the shortened magnetic moment and evolution of spin structure.

Thermal Spin Injection and Inverse Edelstein Effect of the Two-Dimensional Electron Gas at EuO-KTaO3 Interfaces.

With the help of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the LaAlO3-SrTiO3 interface, spin and charge currents can be interconverted. However, the conversion efficiency has been strongly depressed by LaAlO3, which blocks spin transmission. It is therefore highly desired to explore 2DEGs sandwiched between ferromagnetic insulators that are transparent for magnons. By constructing epitaxial heterostructure with ferromagnetic EuO, which is conducting for spin current but insulating for electric current, and KTaO3, we successfully obtained the 2DEGs, which can receive thermally injected spin current directly from EuO and convert the spin current to charge current via inverse Edelstein effect of the interface. Strong dependence of the spin Seebeck coefficient on the layer thickness of EuO is further observed and the propagation length for non-equilibrium magnons in EuO has been determined. The present work demonstrates the great potential of the 2DEGs formed by ferromagnetic oxides for spin caloritronics.

The relationship between the asymmetric magnetoresistive effect and the magnetocaloric effect in Ni43Co7Mn39-xCrxSn11 Heusler alloys.

The correlation between the magnetocaloric effect and magnetotransport property was investigated in Ni43Co7Mn39-xCrxSn11 Heusler alloys. The asymmetric isothermal-magnetoresistance around the phase transformation temperature was observed, from which a parameter γ, determined as the ratio of the asymmetric magnetoresistance to the temperature coefficient of resistance, is proposed. According to Maxwell's equation, the parameter γ is analyzed to be equivalent to the transformation temperature change induced by a magnetic field in martensitic transformation. This finding is confirmed by experimental results. In addition, the γ values can be used to estimate the magnetic entropy change of the martensitic transformation directly without measuring the comprehensive temperature dependence of magnetization curves.

High-Mobility Spin-Polarized Two-Dimensional Electron Gases at EuO/KTaO_{3} Interfaces.

Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at oxide interfaces, which provide unique playgrounds for emergent phenomena, have attracted increasing attention in recent years. While most of the previous works focused on the 2DEGs at LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} interfaces, here we report on a new kind of 2DEGs formed between a magnetic insulator EuO and a high-k perovskite KTaO_{3}. The 2DEGs are not only highly conducting, with a maximal Hall mobility of 111.6 cm^{2}/V s at 2 K, but also well spin polarized, showing strongly hysteretic magnetoresistance up to 25 K and well-defined anomalous Hall effect up to 70 K. Moreover, unambiguous correspondences between the hysteretic behaviors of 2DEGs and the EuO layer are captured, suggesting the proximity effect of the latter on the former. This is confirmed by the results of density-functional theory calculations: Through interlayer exchange, EuO drives the neighboring TaO_{2} layer into a ferromagnetic state. The present work opens new avenues for the exploration for high performance spin-polarized 2DEGs at oxide interfaces.

γδ T Cells in Peripheral Blood of Glioma Patients.

BACKGROUND Glioma is a common brain malignancy, but the effects of the γδ T cells and their subsets in peripheral blood in patients with glioma have not been reported. MATERIAL AND METHODS Flow cytometry was used to analyze the functions and expressions of δ T cells and their subsets in peripheral blood in healthy controls and patients with glioma. The Vδ2 T cells and the activation of killing function-related signaling pathway were analyzed by Western blot assay; the immunosuppressive functions of Vδ1 T cells were detected by CFSE proliferation assay; and the Vδ2 T cell killing functions were detected by killing assay. RESULTS Compared with the healthy controls, the ratio of Vδ1 T cells was significantly increased and the ratio of Vδ2 T cells was significantly decreased. After in vitro culture and anti-TCR gd antibody stimulation and in the presence of IL-2, in the patients with glioma, the Vδ1 T cells dominated and Vδ2 T cells were scarce. Flow cytometry staining showed that expression of immunosuppression-related molecules on the Vδ1 T cell surface was significantly increased, while the expression of killing function-related molecules and the activation of killing function-related signaling pathway in the Vδ2 T cells were significantly decreased. Functional test results showed that the immunosuppressive function of Vδ1T cells was enhanced and the killing function of Vδ1T cells was reduced. CONCLUSIONS The ratio and function changes of Vδ1 T cells and Vδ2 T cells are possibly associated with the pathogenesis of glioma.

Blocking RhoA/ROCK inhibits the pathogenesis of pemphigus vulgaris by suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis through TAK1/NOD2-mediated NF-κB pathway.

Oxidative stress and apoptosis play critical roles in pemphigus vulgaris (PV). The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of RhoA/ROCK signaling on UVB-induced oxidative damage, and to delineate the molecular mechanisms involved in the UVB-mediated inflammatory and apoptotic response. In HaCaT cells, we observed that blockage of RhoA/ROCK signaling with the inhibitor CT04 or Y27632 greatly inhibited the UVB-mediated increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, inhibition of RhoA/ROCK signaling reduced UVB-induced apoptosis, as exemplified by a reduction in DNA fragmentation, and also elevated anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, concomitant with reduced levels of pro-apoptotic protein Bax, caspase-3 cleavage and decreased PARP-1 protein. The release of inflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 was also attenuated. Mechanically, we observed that blockage of RhoA/ROCK repressed the TAK1/NOD2-mediated NF-κB pathway in HaCaT cells exposed to UVB. Taken together, these data reveal that RhoA/ROCK signaling is one of the regulators contributing to oxidative damage and apoptosis in human keratinocytes, suggesting that RhoA/ROCK signaling has strong potential to be used as a useful therapeutic target in skin diseases including PV.

[Comparative field study on high flow rate samplers for respirable fraction-A solution to smaller collected masses].

OBJECTIVE: Dust sample mass gain is too smaller to satisfy the limit of detection (LOD) even in most cases during dust sampling at workplaces nowdays, especially for respirable fraction. Therefore, it is aimed to solve the problem by increasing sample load with high flow rate samplers. METHODS: In A and B two shipyards respirable welding fume was sampled by high flow rate cyclone samplers of FSP-10 (10 L/min) for 2-2.5 hours and normal flow rate FSP-2 (2 L/min) for 3-4 hours with a stratigy of parallele sampling at the same workpalce, in order to compare their mass gain, coincidence rate with LOD, and airborn dust concentration. RESULTS: Sample mass gain of 0.97±0.40 mg and 1.61±0.86 mg respectively in the two factories by FSP-10 was significantly higher than that of 0.29±0.12 mg and 0.51±0.27 mg by FSP-2 (t-test, P<0.05 in both cases) , increasing herewith the coincidence rate with LOD from 26.8% (when sampling with FSP-2, calculated together with samples of the two factories) to 89.7%. However there was no significant difference in dust concentrations by the two different samplers, 0.53±1.88 vs 0.73±1.61 mg/m(3) by FSP-2 and FSP-10 in the shipyard A and 1.14±1.78 vs 1.01±1.63 mg/m(3) in the factory B (t-test, P>0.05 in every case) . In addtion, sample loading by FSP-2 was found to be correlated to sampling time (R(2)=0.7906, y=0.002 6x) , therefore, it has to sample for ≥192.3 min to meet the LOD (0.5 mg) in case of normal flow rate. CONCLUSION: By using of high flow rate cyclone FSP-10 the problem of LOD could be solved, along with increased sample mass and similar respirable dust concentration by the two samplers. Some techincal improvements of FSP-10 and increasing of LOD coincidence rate by other methods was also disscussed.

Giant negative thermal expansion in bonded MnCoGe-based compounds with Ni2In-type hexagonal structure.

MnCoGe-based compounds undergo a giant negative thermal expansion (NTE) during the martensitic structural transition from Ni2In-type hexagonal to TiNiSi-type orthorhombic structure. High-resolution neutron diffraction experiments revealed that the expansion of unit cell volume can be as large as ΔV/V ∼ 3.9%. The optimized compositions with concurrent magnetic and structural transitions have been studied for magnetocaloric effect. However, these materials have not been considered as NTE materials partially due to the limited temperature window of phase transition. The as-prepared MnCoGe-based compounds are quite brittle and naturally collapse into powders. By using a few percents (3-4%) of epoxy to bond the powders, we introduced residual stress in the bonded samples and thus realized the broadening of structural transition by utilizing the specific characteristics of lattice softening enforced by the stress. As a result, giant NTE (not only the linear NTE coefficient α but also the operation-temperature window) has been achieved. For example, the average α̅ as much as -51.5 × 10(-6)/K with an operating temperature window as wide as 210 K from 122 to 332 K has been observed in a bonded MnCo0.98Cr0.02Ge compound. Moreover, in the region between 250 and 305 K near room temperature, the α value (-119 × 10(-6)/K) remains nearly independent of temperature. Such an excellent performance exceeds that of most other materials reported previously, suggesting it can potentially be used as a NTE material, particularly for compensating the materials with large positive thermal expansions.

A full solid-state conceptual magnetocaloric refrigerator based on hybrid regeneration.

The environmental friendliness and high efficiency of magnetocaloric refrigeration make it a promising substitute for vapor compression refrigeration. However, the common use of heat transfer fluid in conventional passive magnetic regenerators (PMRs) and active magnetic regenerators (AMRs) makes only partial materials contribute to the regeneration process, which produces large regeneration loss and greatly limits the regeneration efficiency and refrigeration performance at high frequency. Herein, we propose a new conceptual hybrid magnetic regenerator (HMR) composed of multiple solid-state high thermal conductivity materials (HTCMs) and magnetocaloric materials (MCMs), in which both HTCM and MCM elements participate in the regeneration process. This novel working mode could greatly reduce regeneration losses caused by dead volume, pressure losses, and temperature nonuniformity in heat transfer substances to markedly improve regeneration efficiency at high working frequencies. Using the experimentally obtained adiabatic temperature change and magnetic work and with the help of finite element simulation, a maximum temperature of 26 K, a dramatically large cooling power of 8.3 kW/kg, and a maximum ideal exergy efficiency of 54.2% are achieved at the working frequency of 10 Hz for an ideal prototype device of a rotary HMR magnetocaloric refrigerator, which shows potential for achieving an integrative, advanced performance against current AMR/PMR systems.

Excellent thermomagnetic power generation for harvesting waste heat via a second-order ferromagnetic transition.

Thermomagnetic generation (TMG), a promising technology to convert low-grade waste heat to electricity, utilizes high performance TMG materials. However, the drawbacks of large hysteresis, poor mechanical properties and inadequate service life hinder the practical applications. For the first time, we evaluated the effect of different phase transitions on the TMG performance by systematically comparing the TMG performance of three typical Heusler alloys with similar composition but different phase transitions. Ni2Mn1.4In0.6 exhibits second-order magnetic transition (SOMT) from the ferromagnetic (FM) to paramagnetic (PM) state around TC = 316 K without thermal hysteresis. It presents highly comprehensive TMG performance, which is not only better than those of other two Heusler alloys with different phase transitions, but also better than those of most typical TMG materials. The maximum power density (1752.3 mW m-3), cost index (2.78 µW per €), and power generation index PGI (8.91 × 10-4) of Ni2Mn1.4In0.6 are 1-5, 1-4, and 1-7 orders of magnitude higher than those of most typical reported materials, respectively. In addition, Ni2Mn1.4In0.6 with SOMT also shows some advantages that first-order magnetic transition (FOMT) materials do not have, such as zero hysteresis and a long-term service life. In contrast to the short lifetime of a few minutes for the materials with FOMT, Ni2Mn1.4In0.6 with SOMT can serve for one month or even longer with excellent cycling stability. Consequently, we conclude that the SOMT Ni2Mn1.4In0.6 Heusler alloy with good TMG performance as well as zero hysteresis and long service life can be a better candidate than FOMT materials for practical applications of TMG.

Design of Excellent Mechanical Performances and Magnetic Refrigeration via In Situ Forming Dual-Phase Alloys.

Magnetic refrigeration technology can achieve higher energy efficiency based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE). However, the practical application of MCE materials is hindered by their poor mechanical properties, making them challenging to process into devices. Conventional strengthening strategies usually lead to a trade-off with refrigeration capacity reduction. Here, a novel design is presented to overcome this dilemma by forming dual-phase alloys through in situ precipitation of a tough magnetic refrigeration phase within an intermetallic compound with excellent MCE. In the alloy 87.5Gd-12.5Co, incorporating the interconnected tough phase Gd contributes to enhanced strength (≈505 MPa) with good ductility (≈9.2%). The strengthening phase Gd simultaneously exhibits excellent MCE, enabling the alloy to achieve a peak refrigeration capacity of 720 J kg-1. Moreover, the alloy shows low thermal expansion induced by the synergistic effect of the two phases. It is beneficial for maintaining structural stability during heat exchange in magnetic refrigeration. The coupling interaction between the two magnetic phases can broaden the refrigeration temperature range and reduce hysteresis. This study guides the development of new high-performance materials with an excellent combination of mechanical and magnetic refrigeration properties as needed for gas liquefaction and refrigerators.