Researchers at the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and the National University of Singapore believe they have created a powerful magnetic refrigerant that is easy to make in the lab, reports the nanotechnology journal nanowerk.
The researchers “simply mixed gadolinium acetate, nickel acetate and an organic molecule called 2-(hydroxymethyl) pyridine in an organic solvent at room temperature,” reports nanowerk. The magnetic refrigerant contains a cubic structure made of two gadolinium ions, two nickel ions, and four oxygen atoms, surrounded by 2-(hydroxymethyl) pyridine molecules — see image (courtesy A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering).