Large relative cooling power arising from consecutive magnetic phase transitions in van der Waals CrSBr

H Haifeng Chen C Cuicui Hu (Jiangsu Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Suzhou University of Technology 1 , Changshu 215500,) Z Zilu Xia (Jiangsu Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Suzhou University of Technology 1 , Changshu 215500,) L Lina Jiang H Haicheng Xuan (College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology 1 , Taiyuan 030024,) Y Yong Fang B Bin Qian J Jinlei Yao (Key Laboratory of Efficient Low-Carbon Energy Conversion and Utilization of Jiangsu Provincial Higher Education Institutions, School of Physical Science and Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology 2 , Suzhou 215009,) Z Zhida Han (School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Suzhou University of Technology 1 , Changshu 215500,)

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals magnets are promising for low-dimensional solid-state refrigeration, but their relative cooling power (RCP) is often limited by modest magnetic entropy changes. Here, we show that CrSBr single crystals undergo successive three-step magnetic transitions, which broaden the working temperature window as magnetic refrigerant. This multistep behavior, combined with in-plane anisotropy along the b axis, yields a maximum magnetic entropy change of 4.9 J kg−1 K−1 under 7 T and a large RCP of 273.68 J kg−1 at 5 T, surpassing most reported 2D magnets. Critical scaling analysis reveals tricritical mean-field behavior near the intralayer ferromagnetic–paramagnetic transition. These results demonstrate that multistep transitions provide an effective route to enhance refrigeration efficiency, establishing CrSBr as a high-performance 2D magnetic refrigerant.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 127, Issue 25
Published December 22, 2025
ISSN 0003-6951
Publisher American Institute of Physics

Journal Info

Applied Physics Letters

American Institute of Physics

ISSN: 0003-6951 Physical Sciences

Authors (9)

H

Haifeng Chen

C

Cuicui Hu

Jiangsu Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Suzhou University of Technology 1 , Changshu 215500,

Z

Zilu Xia

Jiangsu Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Suzhou University of Technology 1 , Changshu 215500,

L

Lina Jiang

H

Haicheng Xuan

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology 1 , Taiyuan 030024,

Y

Yong Fang

B

Bin Qian

J

Jinlei Yao

Key Laboratory of Efficient Low-Carbon Energy Conversion and Utilization of Jiangsu Provincial Higher Education Institutions, School of Physical Science and Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology 2 , Suzhou 215009,

Z

Zhida Han

School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Suzhou University of Technology 1 , Changshu 215500,