Abstract
There is an unexpectedly broad range of successful utilization of Laves phases, including Laves type intermetallic compounds, in functional applications as hydrogen storage materials, for wear- and corrosion-resistant coatings in corrosive atmospheres and at high temperatures, or as magneto-mechanical sensors and actuators, to name but a few [1]. Although Laves phases are known for almost 9 decades, they continue to present new avenues for both fundamental research and technological applications. Furthermore, large magnetocaloric effect and giant negative thermal expansion (NTE) have recently been discovered in some Laves phases compounds [2,3]. The magnetocaloric effect can be used for solid-state magnetic refrigeration, a promising technological alternative to conventional gas compression/expansion cooling. Solids exhibiting NTE properties have huge industrial merit as they can be utilized to control and tailor the overall thermal expansion of materials in many fields like aerospace and high-precision optics. The high pressure experiment will give crucial information about the interplay of structural parameter, magnetic and transport properties. The results will deepen fundamental understanding of NTE, magneto-structural coupling and transport properties of Laves phases. Deeper fundamental understanding of the complex magnetic behaviour of these materials will also initiate exploration of new application capabilities (magnetocaloric materials, sensors) of the hole class of materials.