Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the intermetallic compound TbNiAl

Magnetization measurements have been carried out on the intermetallic compound TbNiAl in applied fields up to 120 kOe. Temperature dependence of magnetization under zero-field-cooled and field-cooled conditions shows thermomagnetic irreversibility, which is attributed to magnetic frustration. With the increase of field, the irreversibility decreases and vanishes completely at high fields. Magnetocaloric effect has been calculated in terms of isothermal magnetic entropy change using magnetization isotherms obtained at various temperatures. The maximum entropy change is 13.8 J kg−1 K−1 near the ordering temperature for a field change of 50 kOe. The refrigerant capacity is found to be 494 J kg−1 for the same field change and for a temperature difference of 52 K between the cold and the hot sinks.