Magnetic state and magnetocaloric properties of rapidly quenched Gd75M25 alloys (M = Co, Ni)

Abstract

Effect of rapid quenching on the magnetic state and magnetocaloric properties of the Gd3Co and Gd3Ni intermetallic compounds has been studied. The rapidly quenched Gd 75Co 25 and Gd-Ni 25 alloys were found to exhibit a ferromagnetic behavior below the Curie temperature TC = 172 and 117 K, respectively, whereas their crystalline counterparts Gd3Co and Gd3Ni are characterized by an antiferromagnetic order and Néel temperatures TN = 130 and 99 K, respectively. Data have been obtained which indicate that the amor-phization of Gd3Co leads to the appearance of a magnetic moment at cobalt atoms. The rapid quenching is shown to lead to a significant increase in the low-ield magnetocaloric effect. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2012.