Field and temperature induced magnetic transition in Gd5Sn4: a giant magnetocaloric material.

Gd5Sn4 exhibits a giant magnetocaloric effect comparable to that reported in the Gd5(Si,Ge)(4) system. The giant magnetocaloric effect is associated with a first-order change that occurs at approximately 82 K in zero field, and can be reversed by the application of an external field of a few Tesla. 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy shows that this material is magnetically inhomogeneous over a wide range of temperatures and fields.