Magnetic Properties and Magnetic Entropy Change in Gd/Ti Multilayers

[Gd/Ti]
_n
multilayers with different thicknesses of Gd layers (L
_Gd
) have been prepared by magnetron sputtering. These multilayers exhibit second-order phase transitions at different temperatures, which are determined by L
_Gd
. The peak value of magnetic entropy change in Gd(300 nm) film is nearly two times smaller than the one of bulk Gd. The decrease of the L
_Gd
in the thin film samples leads to a reduction of the maximum value of the magnetic entropy change. Simultaneously, the corresponding full-width at half-maximum increases with L
_Gd
decrease. The practical utility of the magnetic layer thickness as control parameter to tune the magnetocaloric properties of materials has been demonstrated.