Magnetocaloric effect in Gd₂O₃@SiO₂ nanocomposite

Nanocomposite consisting of Gd₂O₃ nanoparticles embedded in periodical porous silica matrix was investigated with respect to its magnetocaloric properties. Series of field (up to 5 T) dependence of magnetization data were recorded in temperature range 2-52 K. The data were subsequently processed employing Maxwell relation in order to calculate magnetic entropy change (Δ S_M) of the system. Examined nanocomposite exhibited reasonably high value of Δ S_M ≈ 29 J/(kg K) at maximal field change 5 T at the temperature of 2 K which suggests that this material could be feasible for cryomagnetic refrigeration applications.