Magnetic properties of R 3Cu 4Sn 4 (R=Ce, Gd and Y)

Abstract

R 3Cu 4Sn 4 (R=rare earth) compounds crystallise in the orthorhombic, Gd 3Cu 4Ge 4-type structure with space group Immm. There are two inequivalent crystallographic sites for the rare earth ions in this structure. We have studied the magnetic properties of compounds with R=Ce, Gd and Y, respectively. Both the symmetry inequivalent Ce-ions are found to be in the trivalent state. Multiple magnetic transitions are observed in Ce 3Cu 4Sn 4 and Gd 3Cu 4Sn 4 with comparable highest transition temperature (∼10.4 and ∼13 K, respectively), which is incompatible with the de Gennes scaling. There is no signature of Kondo effect in Ce 3Cu 4Sn 4. Y 3Cu 4Sn 4 is a Pauli paramagnet.