Influence of thermal treatment on magnetocaloric properties of Gd cold rolled ribbons

This work reports the influence of heat treatment on the magnetocaloric effect of cold-rolled Gd ribbons. A significant depression of magnetic and thermodynamical properties occurs in severely deformed ribbons. However, it is possible to recover the initial values, characteristic of polycrystals by way of heat treatment. The heat treatment regimes are directly connected with the degree of plastic deformation. The proposed approach is convenient for manufacturing magnetocaloric materials in the form of thin ribbons for magnetic refrigerators.