Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026
10:36
Advanced Experimental Methods for Low-temperature Magnetotransport Measurement of Novel Materials
Published on: January 21, 2016
11.0K
Refrigeration down to 0.16 K using a frustrated magnet Gd2B2MoO9
Yikun Zhang1, Yingzhe Na1, Xinyang Liu2
1Key Laboratory of Novel Materials for Sensor of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China.
Nature Communications
|January 6, 2026
Summary
A new Gadolinium-based oxide, Gd2B2MoO9, shows excellent performance as a magnetic refrigerant for ultra-low temperatures. This material surpasses existing options, offering a promising solution for advanced cooling technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Thermodynamics
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Magnetic refrigeration is a promising cooling technology utilizing the magnetocaloric effect.
- Practical ultra-low-temperature applications are hindered by the lack of high-performance magnetic refrigerants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel magnetic refrigerant material for ultra-low temperature applications.
- To evaluate the magnetocaloric performance of Gd2B2MoO9.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of a Gadolinium-dominated frustrated magnet, Gd2B2MoO9.
- Measurement of magnetocaloric effect under varying magnetic field changes (0-1, 0-2, 0-3 T).
- Achieved ultra-low temperatures using a custom-built quasi-adiabatic demagnetization apparatus.
Main Results:
- Gd2B2MoO9 exhibits significant magnetocaloric performance with maximum magnetic entropy changes of 45.1 J/kgK (259.8 mJ/cm3K) at 3 T.
- A minimum temperature of 0.16 K was achieved.
- Performance surpasses commercial Gd3Ga5O12 and other reported materials.
Conclusions:
- Geometrically frustrated Gd2B2MoO9 is a highly effective ultra-low temperature magnetic refrigerant.
- Its high density and environmental stability further enhance its attractiveness.
- This material represents a significant advancement for cryogenic cooling applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Ferromagnetism
3.0K
Materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt consist of magnetic domains, within which the magnetic dipoles are arranged parallel to each other. The magnetic dipoles are rigidly aligned in the same direction within a domain by quantum mechanical coupling among the atoms. This coupling is so strong that even thermal agitation at room temperature cannot break it. The result is that each domain has a net dipole moment. However, some materials have weaker coupling, and are ferromagnetic at lower...
3.0K
01:07Refrigerators and Heat Pumps
3.0K
Refrigerators or heat pumps are heat engines operating in a reverse direction. For a refrigerator, the focus is on removing heat from a specific area, whereas, for a heat pump, the focus is on dumping heat into one particular area. A refrigerator (or heat pump) absorbs heat Qc from the cold reservoir at Kelvin temperature Tc and discards heat Qh to the hot reservoir at Kelvin temperature Th, while work W is done on the engine’s working substance.
A household refrigerator removes heat from...
A household refrigerator removes heat from...
3.0K
01:24Superconductor
1.7K
A substance that reaches superconductivity, a state in which magnetic fields cannot penetrate, and there is no electrical resistance, is referred to as a superconductor. In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University, a Dutch physicist, observed a relation between the temperature and the resistance of the element mercury. The mercury sample was then cooled in liquid helium to study the linear dependence of resistance on temperature. It was observed that, as the temperature decreased, the...
1.7K
03:12Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation
39.4K
Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
39.4K
01:26Diamagnetism
2.9K
Materials consisting of paired electrons have zero net magnetic moments. However, when these materials are placed under an external magnetic field, the moments opposite to the field are induced. Such materials are called diamagnets. Diamagnetism is the response of the diamagnets when placed in an external magnetic field.
Diamagnetism was discovered by Anton Brugmans in 1778 when he observed that bismuth gets repelled by magnetic fields, thus theorizing that diamagnets get repelled by magnets....
Diamagnetism was discovered by Anton Brugmans in 1778 when he observed that bismuth gets repelled by magnetic fields, thus theorizing that diamagnets get repelled by magnets....
2.9K
01:20The Carnot Cycle and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
3.7K
The Carnot engine works between two heat reservoirs of fixed temperatures. The Carnot cycle begs the following question: Is it possible to devise a heat engine that is more efficient than a Carnot engine between two fixed temperatures? The answer lies in designing a Carnot refrigerator.
Since the individual steps in a Carnot cycle can be reversed, the entire cycle is, thus, reversible. If a Carnot cycle is reversed, it becomes a Carnot refrigerator. It extracts heat Qc from a cold reservoir at...
Since the individual steps in a Carnot cycle can be reversed, the entire cycle is, thus, reversible. If a Carnot cycle is reversed, it becomes a Carnot refrigerator. It extracts heat Qc from a cold reservoir at...
3.7K