Magnetic structure of the NaCl-type NdSb compound

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.jallcom.2009.08.038

Neutron powder diffraction experiments have been carried out on the well-known NaCl-type polycrystalline NdSb compound. The neutron diffraction data obtained in zero field at 2 K, reveal commensurate antiferromagnetic ordering with magnetic moments of Nd

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.jallcom.2009.08.038

Journal of Alloys and Compounds 487 (2009) L28–L29
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Journal of Alloys and Compounds
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jallcom
Letter
Magnetic structure of the NaCl-type NdSb compound
P. Manfrinettia, A. Provinoa, A.V. Morozkinb,∗, O. Isnardc,d
a LAMIA-CNR-INFM, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova, Italy
b Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, House 1, Building 3, GSP-2, Moscow 119992, Russia
c Institut Laue-Langevin, 6 Rue J. Horowitz, 38042 Grenoble, France
d Institut Néel du CNRS - Université J. Fourier, BP166X, 38042 Grenoble, France
a r t i c l e i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history:
Received 26 June 2009
Received in revised form 10 August 2009
Accepted 11 August 2009
Available online 19 August 2009
Neutron powder diffraction experiments have been carried out on the well-known NaCl-type polycrys-
talline NdSb compound. The neutron diffraction data obtained in zero field at 2 K, reveal commensurate
antiferromagnetic ordering with magnetic moments of Nd directed along Z axis (MNd = 3.1(1) ␮B). Ther-
mal variation of intensity of (0 0 1) magnetic reflection shows the temperature of magnetic ordering at
TN = 13 K.
© 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Rare earth intermetallic compounds and
alloys
Neutron diffraction
Well-known NaCl-type NdSb [1] show antiferromagnetic order-
ing at TN = 10–16 K with effective magnetic moment MNd = 3.75 ␮B,
paramagnetic temperature ꢀP = −3 K [2]. Meantime, tehffe NaCl-type
NdAs and NdBi compounds demonstrate the antiferromagnetic
commensurate magnetic structure [2].
In order to examine the magnetic structure of NaCl-type NdSb
compound, a powder neutron diffraction study was undertaken.
The NdSb compound was prepared by arc melting under
argon atmosphere starting from high purity elements (Nd—99.9%,
Sb—99.99% pure).
The neutron diffraction investigation was carried out from 90 K
down to 2 K in the absence of applied magnetic field the zero at
the Institute Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France, using the high neu-
tron flux powder diffractometer D1B [3], operating at a wavelength
ꢁ = 0.2524 nm selected by a pyrolitic graphite monochromator. In
the configuration used, the resolution of D1B was about 0.3◦ (Full
Width at Half Maximum) the multicounter is composed of 400 cells
covering a total angular domain of 80◦ (2ꢀ = 4–84◦). The diffraction
patterns were indexed, and the calculations performed using the
FULLPROF 98-program [4].
The powder neutron diffraction patterns obtained at 90 K and
2 K in zero magnetic field show the development of commensu-
rate reflections (Fig. 1) that correspond to pure antiferromagnetic
structure whose details are given in Fig. 2 and Table 1. Ther-
mal variation of intensity of (0 0 1) magnetic reflection shows
the temperature of magnetic ordering at TN = 13 K (Fig. 3a). The
Fig. 1. Neutron diffraction patterns of NdSb at 90 K (paramagnetic state) (a) and at
2 K (commensurate antiferrimagnet) (b).
∗
Corresponding author. Tel.: +7 095 9393472; fax: +7 095 9328846.
E-mail address: morozkin@general.chem.msu.ru (A.V. Morozkin).
0925-8388/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2009.08.038

P. Manfrinetti et al. / Journal of Alloys and Compounds 487 (2009) L28–L29
L29
Table 1
Crystallographic and magnetic parameters of NaCl-type NdSb compound (space group Fm3m, No. 225) at different temperatures T: magnetic type, unit cell data (cell parameter
a and atomic position of Nd atoms); temperature TN refers to a magnetic transition from neutron diffraction experiment; magnetic moment of Nd atom M; ϕ and ꢀ angles (ϕ
the angle of magnetic moment with X axis of unit cell and ꢀ the angle of magnetic moment with Z axis of unit cell). Reliability factors RF (crystal structure) and Rm (magnetic
F
structure) are given in percent (%).
Magnetic type
Paramagnetic
Collinear AF
TN (K)
T (K)
90
Unit cell data
RF (%)
4.4
Atom
M (␮B)
ϕ (◦)
ꢀ (◦)
RFm (%)
a = 0.6338(2) nm
13
2
a = 0.6336(2) nm
Nd1 [0, 0, 0]
Nd2 [0, 1/2, 1/2]
Nd3 [1/2, 1/2, 0]
Nd4 [1/2, 0, 1/2]
5.0
Nd1
Nd2
Nd3
Nd4
3.1(1)
0
0
0
0
0
180
0
12.0
180
magnitude of Nd magnetic moment rich the 3.1(1) ␮ at 2 K
B
(Fig. 3b).
The magnetic structure of NdSb equals to the magnetic structure
of NdAs and NdBi compounds.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Russian Fund for Basic Research
through the project N 09-03-00173-а. This work was supported
by the Indo-Russian Fund for Basic Research through the project
N 09-03-92653-IND а. The authors thank Prof. C. Ritter (Institut
Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France) for help in the neutron diffraction
experiment and useful discussion.
References
[1] Pearson’s Handbook of Crystallographic Data for Intermetallic Phases, 1–3,
American Society for Metals, Metals Park, OH 44073, 1985.
[2] V.I. Ozhogin, V.G. Shapiro, in: A.I. Kikoin (Ed.), Antiferromagnetics, Table of Phys-
ical Data, M. Atomizdat, 1976, pp. 600–633 (in Russian).
[3] www.ill.fr, Yellow Book.
Fig. 2. The magnetic ordering in Cu-type sublattice of NaCl-type NdSb compound.
[4] J. Rodriguez-Carvajal, Physica B 192 (1993) 55–69.
Fig. 3. Thermal variation of intensity I001 of magnetic reflection (0 0 1) (a) and mag-
netic moment of Nd atom (b).