Magnetic and Transport Properties of RESnxSb2 (RE=La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm; x=0.5, 0.7)

✍ Scribed by Laura Deakin; Michael J. Ferguson; Michael J. Sprague; Arthur Mar; R.D. Sharma; Colin H.W. Jones

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 343 KB
• Volume: 164
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-4596
• DOI: 10.1006/jssc.2001.9474

✦ Synopsis

The nonstoichiometric rare-earth tin antimonides RESn x Sb 2 (RE=La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm) were characterized by 119 Sn Mo¨ssbauer spectroscopy and their transport and magnetic properties were measured. The presence of nearly zero-valent Sn is suggested by the similarity of the 119 Sn Mo¨ssbauer parameters in LaSn x Sb 2 (0.1 x 0.7) to those of elemental b-Sn. All RESn 0.7 Sb 2 compounds exhibit metallic behavior. CeSn 0.7 Sb 2 and NdSn 0.7 Sb 2 show drops in resistivity below 8 K; this is attributed to a transition to a magnetically ordered state. At 25 K, CeSn 0.7 Sb 2 also displays a resistivity minimum characteristic of ordered Kondo lattices. Magnetic studies indicate that, below 4 K, CeSn x Sb 2 (x=0.5, 0.7) orders ferromagnetically, whereas NdSn x Sb 2 (x=0.5, 0.7) orders antiferromagnetically and undergoes a metamagnetic transition at H C =5.5 T and 2 K. Neither PrSn x Sb 2 nor SmSn x Sb 2 (x=0.5, 0.7) displays long-range magnetic ordering above 2 K. # 2002 Elsevier Science (USA)