Comment on 'The Magnetocaloric Effect of LaFe_(11.6)Si_(1.4), La_(0.8)Nd_(0.2)Fe_(11.5)Si_(1.5), and Ni_(43)Mn_(46)Sn_(11) Compounds in the Vicinity of the First-Order Phase Transition'

摘要

In a recent paper, Zou et al. have compared the field-induced entropy values associated with the magnetocaloric effect, computed from specific heat measurements and from magnetization measurements, via the Maxwell relation. For a Ni-Mn-Sn alloy, they found large differences between the values obtained from both methods, which led the authors to claim that the martensitic transition in this alloy "... does not meet the necessary condition for the Maxwell relation, being responsible for the great discrepancy ...". The aim of the present comment is to show that when both calorimetric and magnetization measurements are properly executed, there is no significant discrepancy in the entropy values obtained from the two methods, thus validating the use of the Maxwell relations, which is the most commonly used technique in the study of the magnetocaloric effect.