Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of rare earth intermetallic compound Gd3Co4Ge13

Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of polycrystalline Gd3Co4Ge13 (Cubic, Yb3Rh4Sn13-type, Space group Pm-3n, No. 223, cP40) have been studied by carrying out dc magnetization measurements in applied magnetic fields up to 140 kOe. The compound Gd3Co4Ge13 orders antiferromagnetically at 9 K (T-N). The antiferromagnetism appears to be weak and with increasing applied magnetic fields, ferromagnetic interactions become dominant. This field-induced antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic state that is marked as a change from inverse to normal magnetocaloric effect in the isothermal magnetic entropy change vs temperature plot around T-N. At 2 K, the magnetization shows a tendency toward saturation in applied magnetic field and a magnetic moment of 5.3 mu(B) per Gd3+ is obtained in 140 kOe field.