Abstract
The U 3Fe 4+ x Al 12− x (0 < x < 0.5) intermetallic was prepared by arc melting, followed by annealing at 850 °C. This compound crystallizes in the hexagonal Gd 3Ru 4Al 12-type structure (e.g. P6 3 /mmc), with room temperature parameters a = 8.7516(3) Å and c = 9.2653(4) Å for x = 0. The structure is characterized by planar layers of M3Al4 (M = Gd, U), containing M atoms in a triangular arrangement and forming a distorted Kagomé net. Magnetic measurements revealed a spin-glass-type behaviour with a freezing temperature, T f = 7.9 K. The magnitude of the frequency shift of the freezing temperature is ≈0.03 and a Vogel–Fulcher law is followed with values typical for a spin-glass. 57Fe Mössbauer data show that there is no freezing of the iron magnetic moments directions below T f, indicating that the origin of the spin-glass-like behaviour is related to topological frustration of the uranium moments.
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