Magnetic refrigerants with continuous phase transitions: Amorphous and nanostructured materials

An overview of the magnetocaloric properties of amorphous and nanostructured materials which undergo second-order phase transitions is presented, paying special attention to open problems which need to be solved to enhance the applicability of these materials for magnetic refrigeration. The potential of composites is also highlighted, as well as the current status of modeling these particular subset of magnetocaloric materials.