Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect in SmNiC2 compound

Abstract Polycrystalline SmNiC 2 compound undergoes a first-order ferromagnetic transition around T C =17.5 K and then an anomaly around T 3 =25.0 K. The strong texture of polycrystalline SmNiC 2 sample as well as the application direction of magnetic field determines the magnitude of magnetization, further affecting the magnetic entropy change. Weak magneto-elastic coupling is responsible for the small shift of T C with the increase of magnetic field, which leads to the invariability of the half maximum of the magnetic entropy change peak. Considering the strong magnetic anisotropy, a large magnetic entropy change ~14.1 J/kg K at 18 K for single crystal is estimated for a field change of 0–5 T along a axis. Large magnetocaloric effect and low cost indicate the potentiality of SmNiC 2 as a candidate for low-temperature magnetic refrigerant.