Critical behavior in Nd2Pt2In studied using the magnetocaloric effect: Comparison with the conventional method

Critical behavior of the ferromagnet Nd2Pt2In was determined using different approaches, namely via magnetocaloric effect study and conventional methods based on the modified Arrott plots, the Kouvel – Fisher model, the critical isotherm analysis and the scaling law. Remarkably, all the methods converged to the same conclusion of two different behaviors in the ferromagnetic state and the paramagnetic state of Nd2Pt2In. Our results make a significant contribution to understanding the critical features in magnetic materials. [Display omitted] •Critical exponent values are obtained from the magnetic entropy change at TC and the critical magnetization isotherm.•Critical exponent values obtained from the conventional method are in fair agreement with the values obtained using magnetocaloric effect.•The critical exponents obtained suggest that the magnetic interactions in the Nd2Pt2In compound show two different behaviors above and below TC. Critical behavior in the Nd2Pt2In compound around the ferromagnetic phase transition at TC was investigated based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE). The critical exponent values β = 0.42(6), γ = 1.25(2) and δ = 4.00(2) obtained from the magnetic entropy change at TC and the critical magnetization isotherm, M(μ0H, TC), indicated that the magnetic interactions in this compound follow two different universality classes below and above TC, which can be described in terms of the 3D-Heisenberg and 3D-Ising models, respectively. The studies by means of the conventional method using different techniques gave values of the critical exponents that are in close agreement with those derived from the MCE analysis and also confirmed two different behaviors in the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic states.