Multifunctional Phenomena in Rare-Earth Intermetallic Compounds With a Laves Phase Structure: Giant Magnetostriction and Magnetocaloric Effect

We report on the magnetic and thermal properties [magnetization, specific heat, thermal expansion, magnetostriction, and magnetocaloric effect (MCE)] for the three multicomponent systems Tb_xDy_yGd_zCo₂, Tb_xDy_yHo_z(Co, Fe)₂, and Tb_xDy_yEr_z(Co, Fe)₂ (x + y + z = 1). We show that for Tb_xDy_yR_zCo₂, the Curie temperatures, TC (which ranged from 130 to 300 K), and order of the phase transition (first or second order) could be controlled by composition. The highest MCE values (the adiabatic temperature change ΔT_ad = 2.2-2.3 K at μ₀ΔH = 1.8 T) were observed for the compounds exhibiting the transitions of the first order. Giant volume magnetostriction of 1500-2000 and 500-600 ppm is demonstrated at a field of μ₀H = 10 and 1.2 T, respectively. Structural and magnetic entropy contributions to the total isothermal entropy change are estimated for Tb_xDy_yR_zCo₂. Regular recurrence and/or change of the physical properties across the varied composition of the compounds allows us to find the materials with desired magnetic characteristics, such as T_C, MCE, and magnetostriction, to use them in practice.