A system including: an active magnetic regenerative refrigerator apparatus that includes a high magnetic field section in which a hydrogen heat transfer fluid can flow from a cold side to a hot side through at least one magnetized bed of at least one magnetic refrigerant, and a low magnetic field or demagnetized section in which the hydrogen heat transfer fluid can flow from a hot side to a cold side through the demagnetized bed; a first conduit fluidly coupled between the cold side of the low magnetic field or demagnetized section and the cold side of the high magnetic field section; and a second conduit fluid coupled to the first conduit, an expander and at least one liquefied hydrogen storage module.

A magnetocaloric cascade contains a sequence of magnetocaloric material layers having different Curie temperatures T.sub.C, wherein the magnetocaloric material layers include a cold-side outer layer, a hot-side outer layer and at least three inner layers between the cold-side outer layer and the hot-side outer layer, and each pair of next neighboring magnetocaloric layers of the magnetocaloric cascade has a respective Curie-temperature difference amount ΔT.sub.C between their respective Curie temperatures, wherein the hot-side outer layer or the cold-side outer layer or both the hot-side and cold-side outer layer exhibits a larger ratio mΔS.sub.max/ΔT.sub.C in comparison with any of the inner layers, m denoting the mass of the respective magnetocaloric material layer and ΔS.sub.max denoting a maximum amount of isothermal magnetic entropy change achievable in a magnetic phase transition of the respective magnetocaloric material layer.

A series of solid solutions AlFe.sub.2.sub._.sub.xMnxB.sub.2 have been synthesized by arc-melting and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, and magnetic measurements. All the compounds adopt the parent AlFe.sub.2B.sub.2-type structure, in which infinite zigzag chains of B atoms are connected by Fe atoms into [Fe.sub.2B.sub.2] slabs that alternate with layers of Al atoms along the b axis. The parent AlFe.sub.2B.sub.2 is a ferromagnet with T.sub.c=282 K. A systematic investigation of solid solutions AlFe.sub.2.sub._.sub.xMn.sub.x.B.sub.2 showed a non-linear change in the structural and magnetic behavior. The ferromagnetic ordering temperature is gradually decreased as the Mn content (x) increases. The substitution of Mn for Fe offers a convenient method for the adjustment of the ferromagnetic ordering temperature of AlFe.sub.2B.sub.2.

The present invention provides a magnetic multilayer pigment flake and a magnetic coating composition that are relatively safe for human health and the environment. The pigment flake includes one or more magnetic layers of a magnetic alloy and one or more dielectric layers of a dielectric material. The magnetic alloy is an iron-chromium alloy or an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, having a substantially nickel-free composition. The coating composition includes a plurality of the pigment flakes disposed in a binder medium.

The present invention provides a magnetic multilayer pigment flake and a magnetic coating composition that are relatively safe for human health and the environment. The pigment flake includes one or more magnetic layers of a magnetic alloy and one or more dielectric layers of a dielectric material. The magnetic alloy is an iron-chromium alloy or an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, having a substantially nickel-free composition. The coating composition includes a plurality of the pigment flakes disposed in a binder medium.

A cold storage material, which has a large specific heat and a small magnetization in an extremely low temperature region and has satisfactory manufacturability, is provided, and a method for manufacturing the same is provided. Further, a refrigerator having high efficiency and excellent cooling performance is provided by filling this refrigerator with the above-described cold storage material. Moreover, a device incorporating a superconducting coil capable of reducing influence of magnetic noise derived from a cold storage material is provided. The cold storage material of embodiments is a granular body composed of an intermetallic compound in which the ThCr.sub.2Si.sub.2-type structure 11 occupies 80% by volume or more, and has a crystallite size of 70 nm or less.

A method of realizing a ferroic response is provided. The method includes applying a positive or negative conjugate field, which is of a first polarity, to a ferroic material to obtain a substantially minimized entropy of the ferroic material (301) and applying a slightly negative or a slightly positive conjugate field, which is of a second polarity opposite the first polarity, to the ferroic material to obtain a substantially maximized entropy of the ferroic material (302).

Disclosed herein is a method comprising disposing a first particle in a reactor; the first particle being a magnetic particle or a particle that can be influenced by a magnetic field, an electric field or a combination of an electrical field and a magnetic field; fluidizing the first particle in the reactor; applying a uniform magnetic field, a uniform electrical field or a combination of a uniform magnetic field and uniform electrical field to the reactor; elevating the temperature of the reactor; and fusing the first particles to form a monolithic solid.

Disclosed herein is a method comprising disposing a first particle in a reactor; the first particle being a magnetic particle or a particle that can be influenced by a magnetic field, an electric field or a combination of an electrical field and a magnetic field; fluidizing the first particle in the reactor; applying a uniform magnetic field, a uniform electrical field or a combination of a uniform magnetic field and uniform electrical field to the reactor; elevating the temperature of the reactor; and fusing the first particles to form a monolithic solid.

The present invention relates to methods and products for isolating nucleic acids from samples containing biological material. In particular, the present invention relates to silica-coated magnetic particles, processes for their preparation and their use in methods of isolating nucleic acids samples containing biological material.