ON THE CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE AND MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES OF THE TERNARY RARE-EARTH COMPOUNDS RETSB2 WITH RE-EQUIVALENT-TO-RARE EARTH AND T-EQUIVALENT-TO-NI, PD, CU AND AU

Novel compounds RETSb2 have been prepared and characterized for T=Cu (RE=rare earth from La to Lu), Ni (RE=La to Ho), Pd (RE=La to Tb) and Au (RE=La to Sm). From X-ray powder diffraction analyses all compounds were found to crystallize as the ZrCuSi2 type. Magnetic susceptibilities were generally measured in the temperature range from 4 to 100 K. YCuSb2 and LaTSb2 are temperature-independent paramagnets. RETSb2 compounds are found to order antiferromagnetically below T = 20 K. PrPdSb2 and TbPdSb2 undergo metamagnetic transitions, whereas PrCuSb2 and ErCuSb2 are simple ferromagnets. The Sm-containing compounds are typical Van Vleck paramagnets owing to the closely spaced multiplets.