Magnetocaloric Properties of Melt-Extracted Gd-Co-Al Amorphous/Crystalline Composite Fiber

Abstract

In this work, a series of Gd-based amorphous/crystalline composite fibers (ANCFs) were prepared by regulating the Gd content in Gd-Co-Al alloys using the melt-extracted method. Compared to the amorphous alloy, the ANCFs display excellent magnetic refrigeration capacity (RC). Among them, Gd85Co5Al10 ANCF had the largest RC (841 J kg−1) and the widest working temperature range (245 K). Compared with Gd70Co10Al20, RC and working temperature range increased by 56% and 119%, respectively. This superior property is attributed to the ideal coupling between the amorphous phase and the crystalline. This result opens a new door to optimize the magnetic refrigeration capacity by controlling the amorphous crystalline composite structure.