Magnetocaloric effect of Gd(Co1−xMnx)2 compounds

Polycrystalline samples of Gd(Co1−xMnx)2 have been prepared by arc-melting method. The compounds form a complete solid solution with the MgCu2-type structure and the lattice constant varies monotonically as a function of the Mn content with a negative deviation from the Vegard’s law. The Curie temperatures of the compounds have been determined by thermomagnetic measurements and the thermogravimetric analysis. Isothermal magnetic entropy change ( | Δ S M | ) of the samples with x = 0.65 , 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9 have been calculated by the magnetization isotherms. In the four samples, the addition of Mn decreases the Curie temperature, while the | Δ S M | increases.