Review of magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect in the intermetallic compounds of rare earth with low boiling point metals

• Published in: Chinese physics B 2016-03, Vol.25 (3), p.1-15
• Main Author: 李领伟
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Austenitic stainless steels; Boiling points; Intermetallic compounds; Intermetallics; Magnetic properties; Rare earth compounds; Rare earth metals; Refrigeration; 低沸点; 声学特性; 磁性; 磁热性能; 磁热效应; 稀土金属间化合物; 综述; 金属化合物
• ISSN: 1674-1056; 2058-3834; 1741-4199
• DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/25/3/037502

The magnetocaloric effect （MCE） in many rare earth （RE） based intermetallic compounds has been extensively in- vestigated during the last two decades, not only due to their potential applications for magnetic refrigeration but also for better understanding of the fundamental problems of the materials. This paper reviews our recent progress on studying the magnetic properties and MCE in some binary or ternary intermetallic compounds of RE with low boiling point metal（s） （Zn, Mg, and Cd）. Some of them exhibit promising MCE properties, which make them attractive for low temperature magnetic refrigeration. Characteristics of the magnetic transition, origin of large MCE, as well as the potential application of these compounds are thoroughly discussed. Additionally, a brief review of the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties in the quaternary rare earth nickel boroncarbides RENi2B2C superconductors is also presented.