Structure parameters and magnetization in quasistatic fields up to 38 T at 4.2 K are reported for U2T2X compounds with T --Co, Rh, Ni, Pd, Ir, Pt and X = In, Sn, which crystallize in the tetrag0nal UaSi 2 structure. Even the highest applied fields are not sufficient to achieve saturation of the magnetization in any of these compounds of which the majority is antiferromagnetic and some are Pauli paramagnets. The importance of 5f-ligand hybridization for the magnetism in these compounds is discussed. * Corresponding author.
strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy was found to orient the U-moments as a rule perpendicular to the strong U-U bonding distance (i.e. the shortest inter-uranium distance) [5].
The new family of U2T2X compounds offers a possibility to study further the role of the 5f-ligand hybridization and the connection between the shortest inter-uranium distance and the type of magnetocrystalline anisotropy. It is particularly interesting in this family of compounds that, depending on the constituting elements T and X, the shortest inter-uranium distance is found either within the basal plane or along the c axis.
In this paper, we present the structure and low-temperature high-field magnetization of a number of U2T2 X compounds.
2. Sample preparation and characterization
U2T2X compounds with T = Co, Ni, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt and X = In, Sn were synthesized by arc-melting