ACTA

Structural and Magnetic Properties of the PrNi_{1 - x}Cu_xAl Series

J. Fikáček^a, P. Javorský^a, M. Klicpera^a and E. Šantavá^b
^aCharles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Ke Karlovu 5, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic
^bInstitute of Physics ASCR, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic

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Polycrystalline samples of PrNi_{1 - x}Cu_xAl series were studied by X-ray diffraction, magnetization and specific heat. The hexagonal ZrNiAl-type structure is preserved in the whole series. Compounds with x up to 0.4 order antiferromagnetically with the Néel temperatures between 3 and 5 K. The rest of the compounds (x = 0.5-0.9) exhibits a transition into a spin glass state below the freezing temperatures around 4 K. The analysis of the specific heat data reveals a quasi-doublet ground state well separated from higher crystal field levels in the whole series.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.118.884
PACS numbers: 75.40.Cx