Optimization of the Magnetocaloric Effect in Low Applied Magnetic Fields in LnOHCO3 Frameworks

This study probes the structure and magnetocaloric effect of the LnOHCO3 (Ln = Gd3+, Tb3+, Dy3+, Ho3+, and Er3+) frameworks. The combination of single crystal X-ray and neutron powder diffraction indicates that these materials solely adopt the P212121 structure under these synthetic conditions and magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate they remain paramagnetic down to 2 K. We show that the magnetocaloric effects of TbOHCO3 and DyOHCO3 have peak entropy changes of 30.99 and 33.34 J kg–1 K–1 for a 2–0 T field change, respectively, which are higher than that of the promising GdOHCO3 framework above 4 K in moderate magnetic fields. The magnetic entropy changes of TbOHCO3 and DyOHCO3 above 4 K for smaller than 2 T field changes also exceed those of Gd3Ga5O12 and Dy3Ga5O12, making them suitable magnetic cooling materials for use at liquid helium temperatures using the low applied magnetic fields accessible using permanent magnets, advantageous for efficient practical cooling devices.