LaFe11.6Si1.4/Pr40Co60 magnetocaloric composites for refrigeration near room temperature

•One-step sintering process for preparing La(Fe,Si)13/Pr-Co composites is proposed.•Sintering at 1373 K, Pr40Co60 alloy is beneficial for the formation of 1:13 phase.•The diffusion of Pr/Co into the 1:13 majority phase improves the TC of these composites.•The composites exhibit high (σbc)max of up to 550 MPa and λ of up to 10.64 W/m K.•One-step sintering process can fabricate high performance La(Fe,Si)13 based MCMs.