Crystal structure and magnetic properties of some compounds with GdNi2Ga3In type structure

Abstract The GdNi2Ga3In type crystal structures (Pnma) of the quaternary intermetallic compounds TbNi2Ga3.03(1)In0.97(1) (a = 2.41554(2), b = 0.41614(4), c = 0.92220(10) nm, wR2 = 0.0512, 2006 F2 values, 90 parameters) and HoNi2Ga3.03(2)In0.97(2) (a = 2.41822(7), b = 0.41400(15), c = 0.9199(3) nm, wR2 = 0.0588, 1980 F2 values, 89 parameters) were refined from the single crystal X-ray diffraction data. Single crystals were obtained by high-frequency annealing of the samples in sealed tantalum ampoules. The compounds with RE = Y, Dy and Ho are isotypic and were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction. The magnetic behaviour of the compounds RENi2Ga3In (RE = Y, Dy, Ho) was characterized by means of magnetization and dc magnetic susceptibility measurements, carried out in the temperature range 1.72–400 K in external magnetic fields up to 5 T. YNi2Ga3In was found to be a Pauli paramagnet with a molar magnetic susceptibility of about 4⋅10−5 emu mol−1 at room temperature. DyNi2Ga3In and HoNi2Ga3In are Curie-Weiss paramagnets which order antiferromagnetically below TN = 10.5 K (DyNi2Ga3In) and 4.4 K (HoNi2Ga3In).