Effect of Crystal Grain Dimension on the Magnetic Properties and Magnetocaloric Effects in DyCuAl Compound

The influence of crystal grain dimension (∼38 nm and ∼90 nm) on magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects has been investigated for DyCuAl compound. The reduction of crystal grain dimension leads to the decrease of the Curie temperature (from 27 K to 24 K) and the evident enhancement of magnetic anisotropy. The peak values of magnetic entropy change under a field change of 0–5 T are 14.9 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ and 20.4 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ for DyCuAl compounds (∼38 nm and ∼90 nm), respectively. A large refrigerant capacity is also produced in DyCuAl compounds (423 J kg⁻¹ and 379 J kg⁻¹ for the same field change, respectively). Large magnetic entropy changes and refrigerant capacities jointly make them attractive candidates for low-temperature magnetic refrigerant.