Abstract
Rare-earth-deficient R_(1-x)Ni_2 Laves phases, which reportedly crystallize in a C15 superstructure with ordered R vacancies, have been investigated by perturbed angular correlation (PAC) measurements of electric quadrupole interactions at the site of the probe nucleus ^111Cd. Although ^111Cd resides on the cubic R site, a strong axially symmetric quadrupole interaction (QI) with frequencies ν(q)approximate to265-275 MHz has been found in the paramagnetic phases of R_(1-x)Ni_2 with R=Pr,Nd,Sm,Gd. This interaction is not observed for the heavy R constituents R=Tb,Dy,Ho,Er. The fraction of probe nuclei subject to the QI in R_(1-x)Ni_2, R=Pr,Nd,Sm,Gd, decreases from 100% at low temperatures to zero at T>300 K and 500 K for R=Sm,Gd and R=Pr,Nd, respectively. At T=100 K the QI is static within the PAC time window, but at T=200 K fluctuations with correlation times τ_(C) 500 K nuclear spin relaxation related to vacancy hopping is observed in nearly all R_(1-x)N_i2. Auxiliary ^111Cd PAC measurements have been carried in Sc_0.95Ni_2, ScNi_2, ScNi_0.97, Gd_2Ni_(17), GdNi_5, GdNi_3, and GdNi.
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