Magnetocaloric Effect of RCo5 (with R = Gd, Tb, Dy, and Ho) Alloys.

The magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the RCo₅ polycrystalline alloys (with R = Gd, Tb, Dy, and Ho) are studied experimentally in external magnetic fields of to 3 T. Magnetic measurements show that these compounds are characterized by low coercive force and are going to saturation in low magnetic fields. The magnetocaloric effect of the compounds under study is found to be observed in a wide temperature range, and the TbCo₅, DyCo₅, and HoCo₅ intermetallic compounds exhibit several temperature ranges which are comparable in the value of the effect. The several ranges of the existence of MCE of these ferrimagnetic compounds are due to the series of magnetic phase transitions in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]