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

Abstract

The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in many rare earth (RE) based intermetallic\ncompounds has been extensively investigated during last two decades, not only\ndue to their potential applications for magnetic refrigeration but also for\nbetter understanding of the fundamental problems of the materials. This paper\nreviews our recent progress of magnetic properties and MCE in some binary or\nternary intermetallic compounds of RE with low boiling point metal(s) (Zn, Mg,\nand Cd). Some of them are exhibiting promising MCE properties which make them\nalso attractive for low temperature magnetic refrigeration. Characteristics of\nthe magnetic transition, origin of large MCE as well as the potential\napplication of these compounds were thoroughly discussed. Additionally, a brief\nreview of the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties in the quaternary rare\nearth nickel boroncarbides RENi2B2C superconductors is also presented.\n