Magnetocaloric effect in Ho2In over a wide temperature range

The compound Ho2In exhibits two successive magnetic phase transitions: a spin-reorientation transition at TSR=32 K and a magnetic-ordering transition at TC=85 K. The maximum reversible −ΔSM values are 6.3 and 11.2 J/kg K at TSR and TC, respectively, for a field change of 5 T. These two −ΔSM peaks with the same sign are partly overlapping, which results in a wide temperature interval with appreciable magnetocaloric effect. The results on Ho2In indicate that materials with successive SR and magnetic-ordering transitions may constitute an important new class of magnetic refrigerants since they work in a wider temperature range than the conventional refrigerant materials.