Heat flux measurements of Tb3M series (M=Co, Rh and Ru): Specific heat and magnetocaloric properties

We report on the magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) for the Tb3M series, with M=Co, Rh and Ru, obtained using a heat flux technique. The specific heat of Tb3Co and Tb3Rh are very similar, with a first order type transition occurring around 6 K below the magnetic ordering temperature without any corresponding feature on the magnetization. The slightly enhanced electronic specific heat, the Debye temperature around 150 K and the presence of the magnetic specific heat well above the ordering temperature are also characteristic of many other compounds of the R3M family (R=Rare Earth). The specific heat for Tb3Ru, however, presents two peaks at 37 K and 74 K. The magnetization shows that below the first peak the system presents an antiferromagnetic behavior and is paramagnetic above 74 K. We obtained a magnetocaloric effect for M=Co and Rh, −∆S=12 J/kg K, but for Tb3Ru it is less than 3 J/kg K (μ0∆H=5 T). We believe that the experimental results show that the MCE is directly related with the process of hybridization of the (R)5d-(M)d electrons that occurs in the R3M materials.