Effect of Nd doping on the crystallographic, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of NdxGd3−xCoNi

The crystal structure, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties, and the critical behavior of representative compounds in the pseudo-ternary NdxGd3−xCoNi series have been investigated (x = 0.15, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5). All these phases are isotypic with the parent compound Gd3CoNi, crystallizing with the monoclinic Dy3Ni2-type (mS20, C2/m, No. 12). All samples present a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (PM-FM) second order phase transition with decreasing Curie temperature as the Nd concentration is increased (TC = 171, 150, 120, and 96 K, respectively) and, at lower temperatures, there is a spin reorientation, which leads to a complex magnetic ground state. The critical exponents (β, γ, and δ) have been retrieved for the PM-FM transitions. On the one hand, in x = 0.15, 0.5, and 1.5 the value of γ ≈ 1 indicates that the magnetic interactions are long-range order while the values of β point to a certain deviation from the 3D-Heisenberg universality class; on the other hand, NdGd2CoNi has a particular critical behavior, as β is close to the mean field model while γ is close to the uniaxial 3D-Ising one. Concerning the magnetocaloric properties, the magnetic entropy change and refrigerant capacity present competitive values, interesting for cryogenic applications. Finally, the thermal diffusivity values of these compounds are extremely good for practical magnetocaloric refrigeration systems, as they are in the range 1.5–3 mm2/s.