Magnetocaloric effect in Gd1−x Ndx Zn2

Publication date: 15 September 2017
Source:Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Volume 438
Author(s): Keisuke T. Matsumoto, Koichi Hiraoka
The magnetization of Gd1-xNdxZn2(0<x⩽1) was measured to study the effect of Nd substitution in GdZn2 with a Curie temperature of 85K and a spin-reorientation transition temperature of 58K on the magnetocaloric effect. The Nd counterpart NdZn2 shows antiferromagnetic order at 23K. Samples of Gd1-xNdxZn2 (0<x⩽1) were prepared by the melt-growth method. In Nd-substituted systems, the anomaly due to spin-reorientation disappeared. For x⩾0.6, field-induced metamagnetic transitions were observed, indicating an antiferromagnetic ground state. This complex magnetism may originate from competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions. Magnetic entropy change ΔSm was calculated based on the magnetization measurements. ΔSm was suppressed by Nd substitution for x values up to 0.6. For x=1 (NdZn2), the maximum value of ΔSm was −9J/K kg, which is almost the same as those of other Nd-based magnetocaloric materials.



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