Magnetocrystalline anisotropy of of R 2Fe 10Ga 7 compounds with R=Y, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm

Abstract

Samples with compositions of R 2Fe 10Ga 7 (R=Y, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm) were prepared by arc-melting. The prepared samples are single phase with the rhombohedral Th 2Zn 17-type structure. The substitution of Ga in the R 2Fe 17 results in the increase in unit cell volume. Curie temperatures of R 2Fe 10Ga 7, except for Gd compound, are higher than that of R 2Fe 17. For R 2Fe 10Ga 7 compounds with R=Dy and Ho, the Fe sublattice moment and the R sublattice moment cancel occurs at a certain temperature. The compensation temperature T comp of Dy 2Fe 10Ga 7 and Ho 2Fe 10Ga 7 compounds are found to be 60 and 101 K, respectively. The R 2Fe 10Ga 7 compounds with R=Y, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Tm are found to have a uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy at room-temperature, whereas the situation is the reverse for R 2Fe 10Ga 7 (R=Sm and Er) which exhibit an easy plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy.