New magnetic refrigeration materials for temperature range from 165 K to 235 K

In order to develop adequate rare earth refrigerants used below 250 K and avoid the negative magnetocaloric effect of Dysprosium and the expensive cost of Terbium, the heavy-light rare earth alloys are considered. In the present paper we report the magnetic entropy measurements for the alloys (Gd,Dy)(1-x)Nd-x (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3). These alloys, unlike most of the heavy rare earth metals, have only one magnetic ordering phase, that is, the ferromagnetic ordering. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.