Large magnetic entropy change of Gd-based ternary bulk metallic glass in liquid-nitrogen temperature range

Gd60Co26Al14 bulk metallic glass (BMG) with a diameter of 3 mm was prepared by arc-melting and copper-mold suck-casting. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the as-cast Gd60Co26Al14 rod consists of a wholly amorphous phase. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements indicated that one glass transition temperature ( T g ) and two crystallization temperatures ( T X ) occur at 570, 602, and 642 K, respectively. Moreover, two Curie temperatures of 82 and 128 K, which correspond to the two amorphous phases in the DSC trace, were determined from the thermo-magnetization curve. The maximal magnetic entropy change ( Δ S M ) under 0–5 T is about 10.1 J/kg K at 75 K and the refrigerant capacity (RC) is about 556 J/kg, which makes Gd60Co26Al14 BMG a promising candidate for magnetic refrigerant near liquid-nitrogen temperatures.