First-order field-induced magnetization processes and magnetostriction in Tb2Co12Fe5

We report the results of magnetization and magnetostriction measurements performed by pulsed-magnetic-field techniques on the intermetallic compound Tb2Co12Fe5. The temperature dependence of the critical field at which the first-order magnetization process takes place was measured by a singular point detection technique on aligned powders. Magnetostriction measurements were performed by a strain-gauge-based technique at different temperatures. The obtained results are compared with observations recently made for the closely related compound Pr2Co 12Fe5, allowing to clarify the crucial role of both the rare-earth and the transition-metal sublattices in the peculiar behaviour of the latter. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.N.M. acknowledges the European Commission for support given in the frame of EuroMagNET (EU Contract No. RII3-CT-2004-506239) and of the program ‘Training and Mobility of Researchers’.Peer Reviewe