Unconventional Spin State Driven Spontaneous Magnetization in a Praseodymium Iron Antimonide

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Consolidating a microscopic understanding of magnetic properties is crucial for a rational design of magnetic materials with tailored characteristics. The interplay of 3d and 4f magnetism in rare-earth transition metal antimonides is an ideal platform to search for such complex behavior. Here the synthesis, crystal growth, structure, and complex magnetic properties are reported of the new compound Pr3Fe3Sb7 as studied by magnetization and electrical transport measurements in static and pulsed magnetic fields up to 56 T, powder neutron diffraction, and Mößbauer spectroscopy. On cooling without external magnetic field, Pr3Fe3Sb7 shows spontaneous magnetization, indicating a symmetry breaking without a compensating domain structure. The Fe substructure exhibits noncollinear ferromagnetic order below the Curie temperature TC ≈ 380 K. Two spin orientations exist, which approximately align along the Fe–Fe bond directions, one parallel to the ab plane and a second one with the moments canting away from the c axis. The Pr substructure orders below 40 K, leading to a spin-reorientation transition (SRT) of the iron substructure. In low fields, the Fe and Pr magnetic moments order antiparallel to each other, which gives rise to a magnetization antiparallel to the external field. At 1.4 K, the magnetization approaches saturation above 40 T. The compound exhibits metallic resistivity along the c axis, with a small anomaly at the SRT.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2207945
JournalAdvanced Materials
Volume35
Issue number8
Early online date30 Nov 2022
Publication statusPublished - 23 Feb 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85145317654
WOS 000905182900001
ORCID /0000-0001-7523-9313/work/142238688
ORCID /0000-0002-2391-6025/work/142250232

Keywords

DFG Classification of Subject Areas according to Review Boards

Subject groups, research areas, subject areas according to Destatis

Keywords

  • Antiparallel magnetization, Crystal structure, Ferrimagnetism, Iron, Magnetic anisotropy, Rare-earth metal, Spin instability