Conventional and inverse magnetocaloric effect in Pr2CuSi3 and Gd2CuSi3 compounds

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in Pr2CuSi3 and Gd2CuSi3 compounds were investigated systematically. Both Pr2CuSi3 and Gd2CuSi3 compounds experienced two phase transitions in a relatively narrow temperature range: first a paramagnet (PM)-ferromagnet (FM) second-order phase transition at 12 and 26 K and then a FM-spin glass (SG) transition at 6 K and 7.5 K, respectively. The magnetic entropy change (ΔSM) was calculated based on Maxwell relation using the collected magnetization data. The maximum of ΔSM for Pr2CuSi3 and Gd2CuSi3 compounds was 7.6 and 5 J kg−1 K−1, respectively, at the applied filed change of 0-5 T. The shape of the temperature dependence of ΔSM (ΔSM-T) curve was obviously different from that of the conventional magnetic materials undergoing only one typical phase transition. In the left half part of ΔSM-T curve, ΔSM is not very sensitive to the applied field and they tend to intersect with the decrease of temperature. Both typical conventional and inverse MCE behavior were observed in Gd2CuSi3, which would be originated from the two transition features at the low temperatures.