| Abstract: | The thermal expansibilities and phase stabilities of AFe 2As 2 (A = Ca, Sr and Eu) have been investigated by powder diffraction techniques in the temperature range 5–600 K. We found the anisotropic thermal expansivities with temperature for all the compounds. The lattice parameter in the tetragonal phase ( AT) of CaFe 2As 2 contracts with increasing temperature, whereas CT expands. The rate of contraction in AT is lower than the rate of expansion in CT. Other compounds show normal thermal expansion behaviour along both a- and c-axes. In-plane expansion (i.e., along the a-axis) is found to be the smallest for EuFe 2As 2 and the highest for BaFe 2As 2. However, the rate of change of thermal expansivities along out-of-plane (i.e., along the c-axis) is higher as we go from Ba, Sr, Eu and Ca, respectively. Above 600 K, we notice the appearance /disappearance of certain reflections which suggest that tetragonal phase is not stable above this temperature for these compounds. |
