Magnetic, magnetocaloric and magnetoresistance properties of Nd(7)Pd(3)

Abstract

Magnetic, magnetocaloric and magnetoresistance properties of the intermetallic compound Nd(7)Pd(3) have been investigated. It exhibits a first-order magnetic phase transition at its ferromagnetic ordering temperature (T(C) = 34 K). Just above the T(C), the magnetization isotherms exhibit a metamagnetic transition from the paramagnetic to a ferromagnetic state. In the immediate vicinity of T(C), a field change of only 10 kOe leads to the giant magnetocaloric effect of 13 J mol(-1) K(-1). For a field change of 50 kOe a large magnetoresistance of similar to 21% is observed near T(C). First-principles electronic structure calculations indicate that the first-order phase transition in Nd(7)Pd(3) may originate from the peculiar nature of the density of states near the Fermi level.