Abstract:Single crystals of Mg-substituted CeFe 2 Al 8 type intermetallics RFe 2 Mg x Al 8-x (R = LaNd and Sm; x≤1) were grown by reacting iron and rare earth metals in 1:1 Mg/Al mixed flux. The structure features mono-capped and bi-capped trigonal prismatic FeAl 6 units. Electronic structure calculations indicate that magnesium substitution reduces the valence electron count, shifting the Fermi level away from a pseudo-gap. This changes the electronic nature of the cerium analog; the previously reported ternary CeFe 2… Show more