Intrinsic magnetic properties of R2Fe17CyNx compounds: (R=Y, Sm, Er, and Tm)

Abstract

Samples of R2Fe17CyNx (R=Y, Sm, Er, Tm) were prepared by arc melting appropriate amount of R, Fe, and C, vacuum annealing at 1373 K and finally annealing at 740 K in nitrogen for 10 h. The magnetic properties of these compounds were investigated by means of ac initial susceptibility, magnetization measurements, and x-ray diffraction. The thermal stability of the nitride phase was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that, when heated above 600 K, R2Fe17CyNx irreversibly decomposes N which is irrespective of the carbon concentration and rare-earth element. The Curie temperatures of R2Fe17CyNx are independent of the carbon concentration and are approximately 400 K higher than those of the corresponding pure R2Fe17 compounds. However, the Curie temperatures cannot be correlated to the composition x of the initial R2Fe17CyNx compounds at room temperature because some N was lost during the heating to Tc. In the Er and Tm compounds spin reorientation transitions were found, marking the change of the easy magnetization direction from the c axis to the basal plane with increasing temperature. The Tm compounds show an additional magnetic transition at low temperatures (below 40 K). A coexistence of the hexagonal and the rhombohedral structural modifications was found in Er2Fe17CyNx when y<1.5, characterized by two different spin reorientation temperatures. The anisotropy fields of Sm2Fe17CyNx are higher than that of Sm2Fe17Nx. Indications of a magnetic phase transition were found also in Sm2Fe17C0.7Nx and Sm2Fe17C0.9Nx.