Low-field giant reversible magnetocaloric effect in intermetallic compound ErCr2Si2

A giant low-field reversible magnetocaloric effect was reported in ErCr2Si2 compound at ∼4.5 K, which is just above the boiling point of helium. Under a field change of 2 T, the maximum values of magnetic entropy change and adiabatic temperature change are achieved: 24.1 J kg−1 K−1 and 8.4 K, respectively. The low-field giant magnetic entropy change, together with the absence of thermal and field hysteresis, makes the ErCr2Si2 compound an attractive candidate for low temperature magnetic refrigeration.