Transferred hyperfine fields at 119Sn in Fe1?xMxSn [M≡Mn, Co and Ni]

The transferred hyperfine fields at ¹¹⁹Sn, using Mössbauer spectroscopy are reported for the hexagonal B-35 compounds with a general formula Fe_1?xM_xSn, where MMn, Co and Ni. In these compounds, Sn atoms occupy two crystallographically inequivalent sites. For FeSn the observed spectrum consists of a quadrupole doublet and a magnetic pattern corresponding to 2(d) and 2(a) sites respectively. The data have been analysed to resolve the controversy regarding hyperfine parameters. On replacing Fe by Mn atoms, additional lines appear in the higher velocity region of the Mössbauer spectrum and the intensity of the nuclear Zeeman pattern increases at the expense of quadrupole doublet. The resulting Mössbauer spectra have been analysed by taking only the nearest neighbour interactions into account. This analysis shows that on replacing each Fe atom by a Mn atom, the hyperfine field at 1(a) Sn site increases by about 40 kOe and a field of about 35 kOe is produced at the 2(d) Sn sites. Further, from the nuclear Zeeman pattern for 2(d) sites, the sign of quadropole splitting for these sites could also be determined and was found to be positive. However, the substitution of Co and Ni in place of Fe atoms results in a broad unresolved pattern suggesting that the hyperfine field at the 1(a) sites decreases and a finite field develops at the 2(d) site. The origin of transferred hyperfine fields at the two inequivalent Sn sites is discussed, the magnetic transition temperatures of these compounds have been estimated and the magnetic moments of M-atoms have been inferred.