Magnetic properties of ErCo 4− xFe xB compounds

Abstract

The magnetic properties of ErCo 4− x Fe x B for 1 ≤ x ≤ 4 have been investigated using 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature. These compounds have the hexagonal CeCo 4B type of structure. Mössbauer studies indicate that those samples are ordered magnetically. In ErFe 4B, the 57Fe hyperfine fields are 228.8 and 171.3 kOe at the 2c and 6i sites, respectively, whose corresponding Fe moments are 1.53 and 1.14 μ B, respectively. The increase in the weighted average 57Fe hyperfine field for 1 ≤ x ≤ 4 in ErCo 4− x Fe x B is 23.4 kOe, whose corresponding Fe moment is 0.16 μ B. The increase in μ Fe for 1 ≤ x ≤ 4 in ErCo 4− x Fe x B are 0.32 and 0.17 μ B at the 2c and 6i site, respectively. The values of μ Fe(2c)/ μ Fe(6i) are between 1.2 and 1.3 for 1 ≤ x ≤ 4 and increase with increasing Fe content. The weighted average values of the isomer shift in ErCo 4− x Fe x B decreases for 1 ≤ x ≤ 4 with increasing Fe content. From the values of quadrupole splitting the Fe atom at the 2c site contributes to the axial anisotropy and that at the 6i site contributes to the planar anisotropy in ErFe 4B.