The magnetocaloric effect and critical behavior in amorphous Gd 60Co 40-xMn x alloys

Abstract

The amorphous alloys Gd 60Co 40-xMn x (x = 0, 5, 10, 15) were prepared by melt spinning. The Curie temperature, T c, increases monotonously with Mn addition, ranging from 198 K for x = 0 to 205 K for x 15, while the maximum values of -S M under the applied field change from 0 to 5 T are 7.7, 7.1, 6.2 and 5.4 Jkg -1K -1 for x = 0, 5, 10, and 15, respectively. All samples undergo a second order ferri-paramagnetic phase transition. The critical behavior around the transition temperature is investigated in detail, using both the standard Kouvel-Fisher procedure as well as the study of the field dependence of the magnetocaloric effect. Results indicate that the obtained critical exponents are reliable, and that the present alloys exhibit local magnetic interaction. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.