Crystal structure,thermal expansion and magnetic properties of Nd2Cu0.8Ge3 compound

A new ternary intermetallic compound, Nd₂Cu_0.8Ge₃, was synthesized and its crystal structure was determined by Rietveld refinement of X-ray powder diffraction data. The Nd₂Cu_0.8Ge₃ compound crystallizes in space group I4₁/amd (No. 141), with a tetragonal a-ThSi₂ structure type, and a=0.41783(2) nm, c=1.43689(9) nm, Z=2 and D_calc=7.466 g/cm³. Using the high temperature powder X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) technique, the lattice thermal expansion behavior of the compound was investigated in the temperature range of 298–648 K, and the result shows that its unit-cell parameters increased anisotropically when temperature increased. The magnetic susceptibility measured in the temperature range of 5–300 K indicated antiferromagnetic order of Nd₂Cu_0.8Ge₃ at low temperatures, and the magnetic susceptibility can be well described over the range of 50–300 K using Curie–Weiss law. The calculated effective magnetic moment (μ_eff) is 3.53 μ_B and dominated by the contribution of the Nd³⁺ ions.     

Crystal growth,spectral properties and Judd–Ofelt analysis of Pr: CaF_2-YF_3

The 0.6 at.% Pr~(3+)-doped CaF_2-YF_3 crystal was successfully grown by the temperature gradient technique(TGT).X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the grown crystal still had cubic structure. The absorption spectrum, emission spectrum, Judd–Ofelt analysis and fluorescence decay curve at room temperature were discussed. The fluorescence lifetime of Pr: CaF_2-YF_3 crystal was 45.46 μs, and the σem ·τ of ~3P_0→~3H_6 and ~3P_0→~3F_2 transitions were calculated to be 80.92 × 10~(-20) cm~2·μs and 388.7 × 10~(-20) cm~2·μs, respectively. The FWHMs are 20.1 nm and 6.8 nm, which are higher than those of Pr: LiYF_4, Pr:LiLuF_4, Pr: LiGdF_4 and Pr: BaY_2F_8 crystals. The results show that the Pr: CaF_2-YF_3 crystal is expected to achieve 605 nm orange light and 642 nm red light laser operation.     

Crystal structure and the magnetic properties of CeTiGe3

The crystal structure of the RTiGe₃ compounds (R=La, Ce and Pr) has been studied by X-ray powder diffraction methods; Rietveld refinement has been carried out on the La homologue. These compounds crystallise in the BaNiO₃ prototype structure, hP10-P6₃/mmc, also called the hexagonal perovskite (a=6.300(1), c=5.915(1) Å for LaTiGe₃). This seems to be the first example in which an intermetallic phase adopts such a structure type which can be considered as derived from the Ni₃Sn type (anti) by a distortion of the lattice and the occupation of the quasi-octahedral 2a site at the origin of the cell (0, 0, 0) by Ti. The composition, also confirmed by microprobe analyses, was found to be strictly 1:1:3 indicating that these are line compounds, forming very likely by a peritectoid reaction. The existence of homologous compounds has been established for the lighter rare earths La, Ce and Pr. Heat capacity and magnetisation data show that CeTiGe₃ orders ferromagnetically with a Curie temperature of nearly 14 K. On the other hand a−ln T variation of the magnetic part of the resistivity below 300 K is consistent with that expected for single impurity Kondo behaviour. CeTiGe₃ is thus an uncommon example of a ferromagnetic dense Kondo lattice.     

Crystal structure and the magnetic state of Pr0.5Sr0.5Co0.5Fe0.5O3

The magnetic properties and crystal structure of the Pr_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.5Fe_0.5O₃ compound are studied by neutron and x-ray diffractions using synchrotron radiation. These measurements show that this compound is a dielectric spin glass with a magnetic moment freezing temperature of about 70 K. As temperature decreases in the range 30–95 K, a structure phase transition of the first order occurs with an increase in the symmetry from orthorhombic (space group Imma) to tetragonal (space group I4/mcm). It is assumed that the transition is caused by a change in the 4f electron configuration of the Pr³⁺ ions.     

Crystal and electronic structure and magnetic properties of CeRhPb

The new intermetallic cerium compound CeRhPb was synthesized by arc melting and studied by means of X-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements. The crystal structure determined from the single-crystal X-ray data is of the ZrNiAl type (space group P6¯2m). The compound was found to be a Pauli paramagnet with 4f⁰ ground state of the Ce atoms. The ab-initio band structure calculations performed without and with spin polarization confirmed the nonmagnetic character of the plumbide studied.     

Transport,magnetic and thermodynamic properties of REPd2Ga3, RE = Pr,Nd, Sm

We present various investigations on the transport, magnetic and thermodynamic properties of the new ternary compounds REPd₂Ga₃ with RE = Pr, Nd, Sm. While PrPd₂Ga₃ does not show long-range magnetic order down to about 0.3 K, both NdPd₂Ga₃ and SmPd₂Ga₃ order magnetically. The latter exhibits a ferromagnetic ground state with weak ordered moments below T _c = 16.9 K and the former orders antiferromagnetically below T _N = 6.5 K with ordered Nd moments of 1.99(4) μ_B at saturation in the basal plane oriented perpendicular to the propagation vector k = [1/2, 0, 0]. The possibility of a Kondo type interaction in PrPd₂Ga₃ is discussed.     

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of HoPt2Si2

The crystal structure of HoPt₂Si₂ was determined using powder neutron diffraction data. It is tetragonal, CaBe₂Ge₂ type (space group P4/_n mm). Neutron diffraction and magnetometric measurements indicate that HoPt₂Si₂ remains paramagnetic at the temperature of 2.0 K.     

Hyperfine structure measurements in the4 I 9/2 ground state of141Pr

Using the atomic beam magnetic resonance method, the five hyperfine structure separations in the 4f ³ 6s ^{2 4}I_9/2 ground state of ₅₉ ¹⁴¹ Pr have been measured. The results are:F F′ E _FF′ ^* /h (MHz) 7 6 6477.913423(17) 6 5 5556.359848 (6) 5 4 4633.023306 (2) 4 3 3708.201146 (5) 3 2 2782.190601(15) From these quantities, the multipole interaction constantsA _k,k=1, 2, 3, 4 between the nucleus and the electron shell have been calculated.A ₄ especially then served to give the following limit for the intrinsic hexadecapole moment: ¦Q ₄₀¦<0.4eb ². Furthermore, theg _J -factors of the⁴ I multiplet have been measured at magnetic fields of 300 Oe. The results are:g _J(⁴ I _9/2)=0.7310371(15)g _J(⁴ I _11/2)=0.9651476(20)g _J(⁴ I _13/2)=1.1063197(40)g _J(⁴ I _15/2)=1.197963 (30) Small corrections due to perturbations by neighbouring fine structure levels are included.     

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of disordered alloy ErGa_(3-x)Mn_x

ErGa_(3-x)Mn_x disordered alloy is successfully prepared by the vacuum arc melting technology, and the crystal structure and magnetic properties are investigated by using the x-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements. The Rietveld structural analysis indicates that the ErGa_(3-x)Mn_x crystallizes into a cubic structure with space group of Pm3m in Mn doping range of x = 0–0.1. However, the disordered alloy with structural formula of Er_(0.8)Ga_2~Ⅰ(Ga~Ⅱ, Mn)0.4 as the second phase is separated from cubic phase for the samples with x = 0.2 and 0.3, which is induced by substituting the(Ga~Ⅱ, Mn)–(Ga~Ⅱ, Mn) pair at 2e crystal position for the rare earth Er at 1 a site. The lattice parameters tend to increase with Mn content increasing due to the size effect at Ga(1.30°A) site by substituting Mn(1.40°A) for Ga. The paramagnetic characteristic is observed by doping Mn into ErGa_3 at room temperature. With Mn content increasing from x = 0 to 0.1, the magnetic susceptibility χtends to increase. This phenomenon can be due to the increase of effective potential induced by doping Mn into ErGa_3.However, the magnetic susceptibility χ continues to decrease with the increase of Mn content in a range of x 0.2, which is due to the phase separation from the cubic Er(Ga, Mn)_3 to the hexagonal Er_(0.8)Ga_2(Ga, Mn)_(0.4).     

Crystal field and spectrum of Pr4+ in BaPrO3

We have measured the absorption spectrum of BaPrO₃ in the spectral range 1900–11000 cm⁻¹. All the energy levels of the 4f electronic configuration of the Pr⁴⁺ ion in a crystal have been observed for the first time. We describe the total set of electron-nuclear states and the integral intensities of the magnetic dipole transitions of the Pr⁴⁺ in BaPrO₃ in the framework of the crystal field approximation. The crystal field parameters corresponding to the real orthorhombic symmetry of BaPrO₃ are obtained with the exchange charge model.     

Structural and magnetic phase transitions in Pr2NiO4

Neutron powder diffraction and magnetization measurements have been performed in stoichiometric Pr₂NiO₄₊(0), which at room temperature (RT) is orthorhombic (Bmab). Ni²⁺ becomes three dimensionally (3D) antiferromagnetically ordered atT _N 325K, with a propagation vectork=[100], and spins oriented along thea axis (parallel to the propagation vector). The magnetic structure belongs to the _7g (––+)-representation (g _x mode, Shubnikov groupB _pmab') ofBmab, and a magnetic moment of 1.5 _B is measured at 155K. This compound undergoes two different structural phase transitions. First, going down in temperature, Pr₂NiO₄ transforms by a first order phase transition from orthorhombic (Bmab) to tetragonal (P4₂/ncm) atT _c1115K. At high temperature, we can predict a transformation from orthorhombic (Bmab) to tetragonal (I4/mmm) in a continuous way. The extrapolated temperature for this second structural transition isT _c21500±100K. The low temperature structural transformation allows a change in the magnetic structure which forT<T _c1 is better described in the orthorhombic symmetry. Just belowT _c1 the magnetic structure is described by the: _3g (–+)-representation ofPccn(g_xc_yf_z mode, Shubnikov groupPccn), this magnetic phase begins to disappear going down in temperature and at the same time a new magnetic phase grows. This new magnetic structure is described by the _1g ofPccn (c _xg_ya_z mode, Shubnikov groupPccn). Both magnetic structures coexist in a certain temperature range. At 1.5 K thec _xg_ya_z mode represents the total of the magnetic ordering. To reproduce the observed magnetic intensities we are forced to consider that Pr³⁺ is polarized below 40 K, with a magnetic structure which is coupled to the Ni sublattices (i.e. _1g and _3g ). The magnetic moment at low temperature for Pr is about 1.28 _B .     

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of Mn substituted ludwigite Co3O2BO3

The needle shape single crystals Co_3−x Mn_xO₂BO₃ with ludwigite structure have been prepared. According to the X-ray diffraction data the preferable character of distinct crystallographic positions occupation by Mn ions is established. Magnetization field and temperature dependencies are measured. Paramagnetic Curie temperature value Θ=−100 K points out the predominance of antiferromagnetic interactions. Spin-glass magnetic ordering takes the onset at T_N=41 K. The crystallographic and magnetic properties of Co₃O₂BO₃:Mn are compared with the same for the isostructural analogs Co₃O₂BO₃ and CoO₂BO₃:Fe.     

High-pressure synthesis,structure and magnetic properties of LaCrO3 ceramics

Single-phase LaCrO₃ ceramics was synthesized successfully by the solid state sintering method under high pressure (5 GPa). X-ray diffraction measurements suggest that the high-pressure synthesized sample is well-crystallized, but the cell volume is larger than that of the sample synthesized under ambient pressure, which can be ascribed to the occurrence of Cr²⁺ converted form part of Cr³⁺. Such mixed valent state with coexistence of Cr²⁺ and Cr³⁺ could be confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Magnetic measurement results indicate that in addition to antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction of Cr³⁺-O-Cr³⁺ network accompanied by weak ferromagnetism at high temperature, another kind of ferromagnetic behavior can be observed at low temperature (below 30 K), which could be attributed to double exchange interaction of Cr²⁺-O-Cr³⁺ networks.