Effect of microstructure and texture on the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the melt-spun rare earth intermetallic compound DyNi

• Melt-spinning results in crystalline DyNi with preferred orientation and texture.
• The isothermal magnetic entropy change near TC of the melt-spun DyNi is influenced by the texture-induced anisotropy.
• One could possibly tailor magnetocaloric properties by suitable synthetic control of anisotropy.

Magnetization measurements have been carried out on the melt-spun ribbon sample of the rare earth intermetallic compound DyNi (Orthorhombic, FeB-type, Space group Pnma) and its magnetic and magnetocaloric properties are compared with those of the arc-melted analog. The arc-melted DyNi orders ferromagnetically at around 61 K (TC) whereas the melt-spun DyNi orders ferromagnetically at about 47 K. The maximum isothermal magnetic entropy change, ∆Smmax, near TC of the arc-melted and the melt-spun DyNi is found to be −32.7 J/kg K and −22.4 J/kg K, respectively, for a field change of 140 kOe. For low magnetic field changes of ~20 kOe, the relative cooling power (RCP) is ~660 J/kg for the arc melted DyNi and ~460 J/kg for the melt-spun ribbon. The reduction in TC and magnetocaloric effect may be attributed to the microstructure-induced anisotropy developed during the melt-spinning process.