Room-temperature large refrigerant capacity of Gd₆ Co ₂ Si₃

The magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of the Gd₆ Co₂ Si₃ alloy are investigated. Gd₆ Co ₂ Si₃ undergoes a reversible second-order magnetic transition with a Curie temperature at room temperature (T_C =295 K). A broad distribution of the magnetic entropy change Δ S_m peak is observed, and the full width at half maximum of the Δ S_m peak is found to be about 111 K under a magnetic field of 5 T. The large value of the refrigerant capacity (RC) is found to be comparable with those of pure Gd, which have maximal RC values for all the magnetocaloric materials reported previously. The maximal value of Δ S_m is 6.3 J/kg K for a field change of 0-5 T. Excellent magnetocaloric properties, especially considerable values of RC, indicate the applicability of Gd₆ Co₂ Si₃ for magnetic refrigeration in the room-temperature range.