Yb7Ni4InGe12: a quaternary compound having mixed valent Yb atoms grown from indium flux

Abstract

The new intermetallic compound Yb7Ni4InGe12 was obtained as large silver needle shaped single crystals from reactive indium flux. Single crystal X-ray diffraction suggests that Yb7Ni4InGe12 crystallizes in the Yb7Ni4InGe12 structure type, and tetragonal space group P4/m and lattice constants are a = b = 10.291(2) angstrom and c = 4.1460(8)angstrom. The crystal structure of Yb7Ni4InGe12 consists of columnar units of three different types of channels filled with the Yb atoms. The crystal structure of Yb7Ni4InGe12 is closely related to Yb5Ni4Ge10. The effective magnetic moment obtained from the magnetic susceptibility measurements in the temperature range 200-300 K is 3.66 mu(B)/Yb suggests mixed/intermediate valence behavior of ytterbium atoms. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) confirms that Yb7Ni4InGe12 exhibits mixed valence.