Large reversible magnetocaloric effect of light rare-earth intermetallic compound Pr5Si3

The structure and magnetic properties of Pr5Si3 compound have been investigated. A large reversible magnetic entropy change was observed at about 47K accompanied with a second-order magnetic transition from the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic state. The maximum values of -Delta S-M are 11.6 and 6.0J kg(-1) K-1 at 47K, corresponding to the applied magnetic field changes of 50 and 20 kOe, respectively. The study on the magnetocaloric effect of the light rare-earth based compound, may open a field in searching for new magnetic refrigerant materials. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.