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The structure, magnetic transition and magnetocaloric properties in the ternary gallium intermetallic compounds of Ho 2 Ni 2 Ga and Tm 2 Ni 2 Ga have been systematically investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and magnetization measurements. As found from powder XRD and Rietveld refinement, Ho 2 Ni 2 Ga and Tm 2 Ni 2 Ga crystallized in an orthorhombic structure of the W 2 B 2 Co type belonging to the Immm space group. Both compounds are ordering antiferromagnetically at low temperatures and under low magnetic fields together with a field-induced metamagnetic transition from antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM). Peculiar and similar magnetocaloric properties are observed for both compounds, i. e., an inverse magnetocaloric effect (positive magnetic entropy change, Δ S M ) under low magnetic field changes (Δ H ) and at low temperatures together with a large normal reversible magnetocaloric effect under high Δ H . The positive Δ S M below/at the Néel temperatures ( T N ) is ascribed to first order transition from antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM) states, whereas the negative Δ S M above T N is due to the fact of the magnetic transition from paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) states. Based on the field-dependent magnetization data, the maximum magnetic entropy change (−Δ S M max ), relative cooling power ( RCP ) and refrigerant capacity ( RC ) are established, and the corresponding values are 9.6 J/kg K, 276 J/kg and 206 J/kg for Ho 2 Ni 2 Ga, and are 4.3 J/kg K, 60 J/kg and 46 J/kg for Tm 2 Ni 2 Ga, respectively, for a magnetic field change of 0–70 kOe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in the ternary intermetallic compound of EuAuGe have been investigated. The compound undergoes a second-order magnetic phase transition at its own Curie temperatures T∼33 K. A large reversible table-like MCE has been observed from 1 to 40 K, which is related to the magnetic field-sensitive magnetic phase transition. For the magnetic field changes of 0-5 and 0-7 T, the maximum values of magnetic entropy change ( $-{\Delta } S_{\mathrm {M}}^{\max }$) are evaluated to be 7.6 and 10.1 J kg K, respectively; the corresponding relative cooling power ( RCP) are 358 and 499 J kg. The present results indicate that the EuAuGe compound is a considerable candidate for low-temperature refrigeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]