Magnetocaloric effect in Gd60Al25(NiCo)15 bulk metallic glass

Magnetic cooling technology is a very promising alternative to conventional vapor compression refrigeration systems. Searching for suitable magnetocaloric materials with improved properties is a key issue in this field. In this work, we report thermal, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the Gd60Al25(NiCo)(15) bulk metallic glass. A completely amorphous sample of 3 mm in diameter is successfully fabricated by a vacuum suction casting method. The alloy demonstrates the distinct glass transition and near-eutectic melting. Magnetic measurements reveal ferromagnetic ordering in the BMG at about 91 K. We have found a field-induced magnetic transition in the glass, which provides a table-like behavior for the magnetic entropy changes. Due to this metamagnetic effect, the BMG demonstrates excellent magnetocaloric effect over a wide temperature range. The values of relative cooling power (RCP) and the full width of half maximum of magnetic entropy change (Delta T-FWHM) under a magnetic field of 5T are 890 J x kg(-1) and 141 K, respectively. All that makes this glass a promising candidate for magnetic refrigeration applications working at liquid-nitrogen temperatures.