Table-Like Large Magnetocaloric Effect in the Misch Metal RSi Compound

Magnetic properties and the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of the RSi (R = Ce, Pr, Nd) compounds made of Misch metal (MM) are investigated. Two transitions are found at 12 K and 38 K. Field variation generated large MCE and two peaks are found in the magnetic entropy change (\Delta S) curves, which correspond to the two transition temperatures. The maximum values of the magnetic entropy changes (\Delta S) are found to be -5.1 J/(kg\cdotK) and -9.3 J/(kg\cdotK) for the field ranges of 0–2 T and 0–5 T, respectively. The large \Delta S as well as ultra-low price of MM make (MM)Si a competitive magnetic refrigerant candidate for low temperature in Eriksson cycle.