Magnetocaloric effect near the first-order phase transitions in compounds of rare earth and transition metals

The results of the calculations and the experimental values of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in a group of compounds that are promising for use in magnetic coolers are reported. In the materials studied, MCE reaches the largest values near the magnetic first-order phase transitions and is mainly determined by the evolving latent heat of the transition. Contributions of different processes, occurring at the first-order phase transitions, to the observed MCE value have been separated on the basis of the thermodynamic model.