Effect on the magnetic properties of small substitutions of iron and copper for nickel in YNi3 and Y2Ni7 intermetallics

Measurements of magnetization in static fields up to 60 kOe and magnetic susceptibility in weak ac fields of the Y(Ni_1−x M_x)₃ and Y₂(Ni_1−x M_x)₇ intermetallics (M=Fe and Cu, x _max=0.2), as well of the specific heat of these systems for some compositions are reported. It was found that these intermetallics are ferromagnetic at low temperature, and that their spontaneous magnetizations M _s at 4.2 K and Curie temperatures T _C decrease monotonically with increasing copper concentration. The magnetic susceptibility of the Y(Ni_1−x Fe_x)₃ system with 0.06≲x≲0.2 was observed to decrease rapidly with the temperature lowered below a characteristic temperature T _s. One of possible reasons for such an anomaly is shown to be the onset in this concentration region of the reentrant spin-glass state at low temperatures. The results obtained demonstrate that the tight-binding d-band model fails to explain the evolution of the magnetic properties of YNi₃ and Y₂Ni₇ in the case of small substitutions of iron and copper for nickel. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1828–1830 (October 1997)