Effect of Al Addition on the Glass-Forming Ability and Magnetic Properties of a Gd–Co Binary Amorphous Alloy**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 51171100 and 51271103, and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under Grant No PolyU511212.

Abstract

The glass-forming ability (GFA) and magnetic properties of the Gd50Co50-based amorphous alloy with Al addition substitution for Co are investigated. It is found that the GFA and magneto-caloric effect of the Gd50Co45Al5 amorphous alloy are better than Gd50Co50 amorphous alloy. The maximum magnetic entropy change (– Δ Smpeak) and the magnetic refrigerant capacity of the amorphous alloy under a field of 5T are about 6.64 J·kg−1 K−1 and 764 J·kg−1, respectively. The field dependence of magnetic entropy change meets the one predicted by the mean field theory, which is investigated for a better understanding of the magneto-caloric behaviors of the Gd50Co45Al5 amorphous alloy.