File Name : figure-s1-new.tif Caption : fig. s1 sem photo [backscattered electron (bse) model] of a dta sample with nominal composition gd3ni2, after a cooling run at a rate of 20 k/min. three phases are present: primary dark crystals of equiatomic gdni (a), grey-color grains of gd3ni2 (b) and light-grey crystals of gd3ni (c). File Name : figure-s2-new.tif Caption : fig. s2 a typical dsc trace for a gd3coni specimen up to 1123 k (850°c); heating and cooling rate of 20 k/min. File Name : figure-s3-new.tif Caption : fig. s3 distribution of neighboring atoms around gd and ni atoms in gd3ni2 (a), and around gd, co and ni atoms in gd3coni (b) compounds. File Name : figure-s4-new.tif Caption : fig. s4 magnetization and inverse magnetic susceptibility measured between 2 and 300 k and at 200 and 2000 oe for the substituted gd3coxni2–x compounds for x = 0.5 (a), 0.75 (b), 0.85 (c), 0.95 (d). File Name : figure-s5-new.tif Caption : fig. s5 isothermal magnetization data (at 5 k) as a function of applied magnetic field (up to 70 koe) for the substituted gd3coxni2–x compounds for x = 0.5 (a), 0.75 (b), 0.85 (c), and 0.95 (d). File Name : figure-s6-new.tif Caption : fig. s6 isothermal magnetization measured at selected temperatures around the magnetic transition for gd3co0.75ni1.25 (a), and gd3co0.85ni1.15 (b) compounds. arrott plots for gd3co0.75ni1.25 (c) and gd3co0.85ni1.15 (d). isothermal magnetic entropy change vs. temperature for gd3co0.75ni1.25 (e) and gd3co0.85ni1.15 (f) for δh = 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 koe.