Synthesis, structure, magnetic and transport properties of LnFeSb3 (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb) – tuning of anisotropic long-range magnetic order as a function of Ln

Abstract

Single crystals of LnFeSb(3) (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb) have been grown from excess Sb flux. The crystal structure consists of (infinity)(2)[FeSb(2)] octahedra separated by layers of Ln atoms and nearly square planar nets of (infinity)(2)[Sb(2)]. These compounds are metallic and display anisotropic magnetic properties. Long-range antiferromagnetic order is observed in the Sm, Gd, and Tb samples when the magnetic field is applied along the crystallographic a-axis. Evidence of magnetic ordering in all the samples is observed for the field applied parallel to the layers. The magnetic properties are well-described by considering only the magnetic interactions between the Ln 4f moments, with no contribution from the Fe sublattice. Herein, we report the crystal growth, structure, magnetization, transport, and chemical stabilities of the title compounds.

Diversity in Crystal Structure and Physical Properties of RETX3 (RE – Rare Earth, T – Transition Metal, X – Main Group Element) Intermetallics

“…was motivated by their Cr counterpart which shows a larger FM ordering in the system due Cr sublattice. It turns out that in the Fe does not show any kind sublattice in the system but they show AFM due to RE 3+ ions [26] …”

“…The presence of 4 f electrons in RE and the d ‐electrons in T and their interaction favors the generation of interesting magnetic and electronic properties such as ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, [6–10] spin‐glass, [11] Kondo behavior, [8,12,13] heavy fermion behavior, [14,15] mixed valence, [16–18] and superconductivity [7,19–24] . Along with physical properties some solid‐state structural transformation, [18] narrow band gap semiconductor [16] The highly localized 4 f electrons in rare‐earth atoms in “many” intermetallic compounds [6,25–28] . In many cases, the 4 f electrons are partly delocalized, and the delocalized nature of s and p ‐electrons of X atom result in competition between Kondo behavior and RKKY (Ruderman‐Kittel‐Kasuya‐Yosida) interaction.…”

“…[7,[19][20][21][22][23][24] Along with physical properties some solid-state structural transformation, [18] narrow band gap semiconductor [16] The highly localized 4f electrons in rareearth atoms in "many" intermetallic compounds. [6,[25][26][27][28] In many cases, the 4f electrons are partly delocalized, and the delocalized nature of s and p-electrons of X atom result in competition between Kondo behavior and RKKY (Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida) interaction. These interactions can be tuned by changing the concentration of conducting and localized electrons.…”

Synthesis, magnetic, transport, and thermodynamic investigation of CeCo(Sb, Sn)3

“…Detailed descriptions of compounds adopting the LaPdSb 3 have been provided elsewhere [9,12,[15][16][17]. Therefore, only a brief structural description of CeCo(Sb, Sn) 3 is provided below.…”

Emergence of Magnetic States in Pr2Fe4–xCoxSb5 (1 < x < 2.5)

“…Rare-earth intermetallics have garnered interest because of their rich structural chemistry, − complex magnetic ordering, − colossal magnetoresistance, − and spin-glass behavior. ,, PrFeSb 3 contains Pr inserted between a layer of Fe-centered octahedra and a distorted square net of Sb . The effective magnetic moment for this compound is solely due to Pr 3+ , with the Fe not carrying a magnetic moment.…”