Huge influence of hydrogenation on the magnetic properties and structures of the ternary silicide NdMnSi

Sophie Tencé (1) , Gilles André (2) , Etienne Gaudin (1) , Pierre Bonville (3) , Adel F. Al Alam (1) , Samir F. Matar (1) , Wilfried Hermes (4) , Rainer Pöttgen (4) , Bernard Chevalier (1)

1 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux
2 LLB - UMR 12 - Laboratoire Léon Brillouin
3 SPEC - UMR3680 - Service de physique de l'état condensé
4 Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie

The hydride NdMnSiH obtained by exposure of the ternary silicide NdMnSi under a pressure of 4 MPa of hydrogen at 523 K crystallizes in the tetragonal ZrCuSiAs-type structure where H atom occupies the tetrahedral [Nd₄] sites. The hydrogenation of NdMnSi induces an increase in the unit cell volume close to 3.3%. The investigation of NdMnSiH by magnetization and specific heat measurements reveals the existence of two antiferromagnetic ordering, respectively, at T_N1=565(5)  K and T_N2=103(4)  K. Neutron powder diffraction shows that these Néel temperatures are associated with an antiferromagnetic arrangement of the (i) Mn substructure (T_N1) and (ii) Nd substructure linked to a reorientation of the Mn one (T_N2). Comparison of the T_N1 and T_N2 temperatures of NdMnSiH to those reported for the initial compound NdMnSi indicates a strong increase in T_N1 (280  K -> 565  K) and a significant decrease in T_N2 (185  K -> 03 K). The magnetic properties, magnetic structures, and values of Nd and Mn ordered magnetic moments are discussed using both band structure calculations and comparison with the behaviors of other ternary silicides and germanides based on manganese and rare earth elements.

Keywords: Magnetic structure; Magnetisation; Manganese compounds; Neel temperature; Neodymium compounds; Neutron diffraction; Silicon compounds; Specific heat; Antiferromagnetic materials; Crystal structure; Hydrogenation; Magnetic moments

Domains: Material chemistry; Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

Sophie Tencé, Gilles André, Etienne Gaudin, Pierre Bonville, Adel F. Al Alam, et al.. Huge influence of hydrogenation on the magnetic properties and structures of the ternary silicide NdMnSi. Journal of Applied Physics, 2009, 106 (3), 033910 (13 p.). ⟨10.1063/1.3190488⟩. ⟨hal-00418918⟩