The magnetocaloric effect in Gd3In1−xAlx (x=0, 0.04, 0.08) alloys

The crystal structure and magnetic phase transition were investigated for, Gd3In1−xAlx (x=0, 0.04, 0.08) alloys. All these samples crystallize in the Gd3Co-type orthorhombic structure at room temperature. A second-order magnetic phase transition occurs around the Curie temperature of 192 K in Gd3In alloy. With the substitution of Al for In, the magnetic anisotropy decreases obviously in Gd3In1−xAlx alloys. Relatively large and highly reversible magnetocaloric effects were obtained under the low field of 10 kOe, suggesting that Gd3In1−xAlx alloys are potential candidates for magnetic refrigeration at low temperatures.