Studies of intermetallic compounds with cages investigated by spectroscopy and X-rays diffraction

Author(s)

José Renato Linares Mardegan

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin
• Defense date: 2014-03-26

Examining board members

Carlos Manuel Giles Antunez de Mayolo; Marcos de Abreu Ávila; Luis Ghivelder; Iakov Veniaminovitch Kopelevitch; Marcelo Knobel

• Advisor: Carlos Manuel Giles Antunez de Mayolo

Abstract

In this thesis we have investigated the electronic and magnetic properties of several compounds in which they have the structure compose by cages. The compounds studied in this work were the clathrate type-I Eu8Ga16Ge30, the Remeika cubic phase Eu3Ir4Sn13 and the compounds GdT2Zn20 with T = Fe and Co. The electronic and magnetic properties of these materials were investigated using macroscopic measurements such as electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements as well as microscopic techniques, such as X-ray absorption and scattering, and also neutron diffraction. The clathrate compound Eu8Ga16Ge30 formed by two types of cages (X20 ¿ dodecahedral X24 - tetrakaidecahedral) was mainly investigated by diffraction and X-rays absorption measurements. To better understand the eletronic and magnetic properties, the compound was investigated under high pressure in which we observed an irreversible crystalline-amorphous phase transition around Pa = 18 GPa. Simultaneously with structural change, it was observed by magnetic circular dichroism a collapse of the ferromagnetic (FM) ordering. This phase transition was associated with a mechanical instability in the cages due to an anisotropy created by the Eu ions rattling and displaced o center. Furthermore, this low pressure amorphization for the Eu8Ga16Ge30 compared with other isostructural clathrate compound confirms that the guest ion inside the cages has a strong role in the electronic and magnetic properties. The structure and magnetism of the Remeika cubic phase Eu3Ir4Sn13 was investigated by X-rays and neutrons scattering measurements. From these measurements we gured out that the anomaly at T 57.1 K observed in the specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements is related to a structural distortion. This distortion causes a loss of symmetry, in which one can observe new structural reflections with a propagation vector type q = (0; 1/2 ; 1/2 ). The structural distortion is related to a strong hybridization between the Ir and Sn2 ions in the Ir(Sn2)6 cages. This hybridization increases the electronic density of states near the Fermi level and it is strongly dependent on the transition metal. The magnetic structure was investigated by neutron diffraction, in which we observed magnetic Bragg peaks with a propagation vector type ? = (0; 1/2 ; 1/2 ) below TN = 10.1 K. Using several magnetic reflections we can determine the magnetic structure. From the refinement we found that the magnetic moments of Eu ions are pointing out along the [110] and [111] directions. The GdT2Zn20 cubic compound with T = Fe and Co were also investigated with diffraction and X-rays absorption measurements. These two compounds have interesting properties and many of them are due to the rare earth and transition metals elements are immersed in a sea of Zn ions. Both rare earth as well as the transition metals (Co and Fe) have the first and second neighbors formed by Zn ions. The GdCo2Zn20 compound showed a phase transition from a paramagnetic state (PM) to an antiferromagnetic state (AFM) with a Neel temperature around TN ~ 5.72 = K. Using x-ray resonant magnetic scattering technique we solved the magnetic structure and we found the magnetic moments of the Gd ions aligned perpendicular to the [111] direction, i.e., IR ?5. When the transition metal was replaced by T = Fe, the GdFe2Zn20 compound has a FM ordering with a remarkably high-temperature ferromagnetic (TC = 86 K) state. The X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements performed at the L2;3 absorption edges of the rare earth element and at the Fe and Zn K edges showed that only the Gd and Zn carry magnetic moment in this compound. The magnetic signal at the Zn K edge is due to the strong hybridization between the Zn 4sp states with the Gd 5d states. We believe that the high ordering temperature is related to a high density of states near the Fermi level and the magnetic moment induced at the Zn ions is due to the strong interaction among the Gd ions (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/10264-0 - Study of intermetalic compounds for thermoelectrical applications by x-ray diffraction
• Grantee: José Renato Linares Mardegan
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate