The LaPdIn4 indide and elementary properties of the LaTIn4 (T = Ni, Pd, Pt) materials family

Abstract

The indium-rich intermetallic compound LaPdIn4 is reported, prepared by arc-melting and annealing at 600 o C. Single crystal X-ray diffraction found the material to be orthorhombic, space group Cmcm (No. 63), with lattice parameters a = 4.5462(3) Å, b = 16.9208(10) Å, and c = 7.3100( 5) Å. This previously unreported indide is isostructural with LaNiIn4 and LaPtIn4. It is demonstrated that all three compounds in the LaTIn4 (T = Ni, Pd, Pt) family display metallic behavior with resistivity values between 20-30 -cm at 250 K. In addition, temperature and field-dependent magnetization measurements between 2 and 250 K show all to be weak paramagnets or diamagnets, with very small amounts of spin-bearing impurities present. The field-dependent magnetization showed evidence of de Haas-van Alphen quantum oscillations in the Pd and Pt containing compounds near applied fields of 5 Tesla.