Crystal growth, structure and magnetic properties of Sm3Ni5Al19: A compound in the Sm2n+mNi4n+mAl15n+4m homologous series

Abstract

Sm3Ni5Al19 was obtained as large rod shaped single crystals from reactive aluminium flux. Single crystal X-ray diffraction suggests that Sm3Ni5Al19 crystallizes in the Gd3Ni5Al19 structure type, orthorhombic space group Cmcm and lattice constants a = 4.0974(1) , b = 16.0172(6) and c = 27.0774(10) . Sm3Ni5Al19 is a member of the Sm2n+mNi4n+mAl15n+4m series with n = 1 and m = 1. The crystal structure of Sm3Ni5Al19 consists of SmNiAl4 and Sm2Al4Al15 slabs intergrown along the b-axis. Magnetic susceptibility data on Sm3Ni5Al19 confirms the paramagnetic nature with a complicated magnetic ordering below 18 K. The inverse susceptibility data follows modified Curie-Weiss law above 150 K with effective magnetic moment 1.3 mu (B)/Sm atoms suggests trivalent Sm atoms.