Re-entrant ferromagnet PrMn2Ge0.8Si1.2: Magnetocaloric effect

The structural and magnetic properties of the re-entrant ferromagnet PrMn2Ge0.8Si1.2 have been investigated by various experimental methods. Similar to the canonical re-entrant ferromagnet SmMn2Ge2, multiple magnetic phase transitions have been detected in PrMn2Ge0.8Si1.2 over the temperature range from 10to550K with re-entrant ferromagnetism occurring around ∼54K. The magnetocaloric effect has been measured in terms of the isothermal magnetocaloric entropy change and found to be positive at the re-entrant ferromagnetic transition with a maximum value of around 1.9J∕kgK at 58K for a magnetic field change of 0–3T. On the other hand, the entropy change becomes negative (∼−0.5J∕kgK) at the antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition for the same field change.