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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Massive magnetic-field-induced structural transformation in Gd5Ge4 and the nature of the giant magnetocaloric effect
V K Pecharsky1, A P Holm, K A Gschneidner
1Materials and Engineering Physics Program, Ames Laboratory, Ames, IA 50011-3020, USA. vitkp@ameslab.gov
Abstract:
A massive magnetic-field-induced structural transformation in Gd5Ge4, which occurs below 30 K, was imaged at the atomic level by uniquely coupling high-resolution x-ray powder diffraction with magnetic fields up to 35 kOe. In addition to uncovering the nature of the magnetic field induced structural transition, our data demonstrate that the giant magnetocaloric effect, observed in low magnetic fields, arises from the amplification of a conventional magnetic entropy-driven mechanism by the difference in the entropies of two phases, borne by the concomitant structural transformation.
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