Magnetocaloric Effect and Transition Order in HoAl2

S. Barana, R. Duraj b and A. Szytuła a aM. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, S. Łojasiewicza 11, PL-30348 Kraków, Poland bInstitute of Physics, Technical University of Cracow, Podchorążych 1, PL-30-084 Kraków, Poland

Received: July 18, 2014; Revised version: November 18, 2014; In final form: January 20, 2015

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Magnetic measurements of HoAl2 are reported. The compound crystallizes in the cubic MgCu2-type crystal structure. HoAl2 exhibits two successive magnetic transitions: below Tc= 29 K a ferromagnetic order is formed while anomaly at Tt= 20 K is related to reorientation of magnetic moment. Near transition temperatures a magnetocaloric effect with magnetic entropy changes -ΔSm equal to 6.3 J/(mol K) at Tc and 5.0 J/(mol K) at Tt for an external field μ0H = 9 T is observed.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.127.815 PACS numbers: 75.30.Cr, 75.30.Kz, 75.30.Sg