A molecular-field study on the magnetocaloric effect in Er2Fe17

A method, based on the molecular field theory of ferrimagnetism, and standard relations for the electronic and lattice heat capacities and entropies, is used to calculate the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in Er2Fe17. This compound has a Curie temperature in the vicinity of room temperature and could be, therefore, of practical interest. The magnetization, magnetic, lattice, electronic and total entropies and specific heats, for different magnetic fields, have been calculated as function of temperature up to and beyond Tc. The magnetocaloric effect i.e. the isothermal magnetic entropy change ΔSM and the adiabatic temperature change, ΔTad for different magnetic fields, have been studied in the temperature range 0-400K. As an example of our results, the maximum isothermal magnetic entropy change ΔSM in Er2Fe17 is in the range 5-6J/kgK, for a magnetic field change of 80kOe. The adiabatic temperature change, ΔTad has a maximum value in the range 1.5-2.1K for ΔH=80kOe. For the purpose of comparison, a giant magnetocaloric bench-mark material, with first-order phase transition e.g. Gd5Si2Ge2 has a maximum ΔSm and ΔTad (for a field change of 50 kOe) in the range 20–36 J/kg. K and 11–17 K respectively. Our results are in fair agreement with available results of other studies on this compound, in which more involved Hamiltonian was used e.g. taking crystal electric field into account.