Structure, homogeneity ranges, magnetic, and electrical properties of the ordered Laves phases RENi₄Mg with MgCu₄Sn type structure

Stefan Linsinger (1) , Matthias Eul (1) , Christian Schwickert (1) , Rodolphe Decourt (2) , Bernard Chevalier (2) , Ute Ch. Rodewald (1) , Jean-Louis Bobet (2) , Rainer Pöttgen (1)

1 Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie
2 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux

New ordered Laves phases RENi₄Mg (RE = Sc, Sm, Tb-Lu) were synthesized from the elements in sealed tantalum ampoules in an induction furnace. Six of the structures were refined on the basis of X-ray single crystal data. The diffraction experiments gave hint for small homogeneity ranges RE_1+xNi₄Mg_1−x. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show Curie-Weiss behavior for RE = Gd, Dy, Ho, Tm, Yb and the resulting effective magnetic moments suggest both stable trivalent states for all RE and a non-magnetic state for Ni. Gd_1+xNi₄Mg_1−x (x ≈ 0.12) orders antiferromagnetically at a Néel temperature of T_N = 4.6(5) K. Resistivity measurements reflect the metallic nature of these compounds.

Mots clés: Rare-earth intermetallics; Crystal chemistry of intermetallics; Single-crystal growth; Diffraction

Domaines: Matériaux

Stefan Linsinger, Matthias Eul, Christian Schwickert, Rodolphe Decourt, Bernard Chevalier, et al.. Structure, homogeneity ranges, magnetic, and electrical properties of the ordered Laves phases RENi₄Mg with MgCu₄Sn type structure. Intermetallics, 2011, 19 (10), pp.1579-1585. ⟨10.1016/j.intermet.2011.06.002⟩. ⟨hal-00618129⟩