Correlation between linear magnetostriction and magnetocaloric effect in the Fe7Se8 single crystals

The effect of the change in size under the influence of an applied magnetic field (magnetostriction) was studied in Fe7Se8 single crystals. It was shown that a systematic change in the unit-cell constants, induced by an external magnetic field and dependent on the direction and magnitude of this field, strongly correlates with the change in the spin reorientation temperature (T (SRT)) and the magnetic entropy change, which is strongly dependent on T (SRT) and magnetization. The obtained results suggest that the relation between magnetostriction and the change in magnetic entropy (Delta S (m)), reported previously for different materials, seems to have universal character, and magnetostriction can be used as an indirect method to estimate the change in magnetic entropy in Fe7Se8 single crystals substituted with transition metals.