Magnetocaloric effect and magnetic ordering in GdFe1-xTxSi, T = Cr, V, Ni.

Abstract

The intermetallic compounds GdFe1-xCrxSi, x = 0-0.8, GdFe1-xVxSi, x = 0-0.4, and GdFe1-xNixSi, x = 0-0.4 with a tetragonal CeFeSi (P4/nmm) structure type have been synthesized. The Curie temperature, TC, sharply increases from 130 K to 255 K and 250 K for the GdFe1-xCrxSi and GdFe1-xVxSi compounds and decreases to 104 K for GdFe1-xNixSi. Within the framework of the model of effective d-f exchange interaction in R3̄d intermetallics, these changes in TC can be caused by the corresponding changes in the density of states. The electronic structure, magnetic moments and types of magnetic orderings of the GdFe1-xTxSi, T = Cr, V, Ni intermetallic compounds were calculated using the DFT+U theoretical method. For the GdFe1-xNixSi system, the transformation of a ferromagnet with the composition x = 0 into an antiferromagnet with the composition x = 0.3 was established experimentally and using first-principles calculations. The correlation of the ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic type of the magnetic state in the GdFe1-xNixSi compounds with the value of the lattice parameter c to greater or less than the critical value c = 6.72 Å for the GdCoSi antiferromagnet has been experimentally established. The magnetic structures of the antiferromagnets GdFe0.7Ni0.3Si and GdCoSi were found to be different. GdFe0.7Ni0.3Si is characterized by a collapse in the magnetocaloric effect via a change in the isothermal magnetic entropy ΔSM(TC). The compounds GdFe0.4Cr0.6Si with -ΔSM(TC) = 2.37 J kg-1 K-1 at TC = 255 K and RC = 82.07 J kg-1 and GdFe0.7V0.3Si with -ΔSM(TC) = 2.06 J kg K-1 at TC = 250 K and RC = 96.02 J kg-1 in a field changing to 17 kOe could be of practical interest due to the TC being close to room temperature.