Magnetic properties and magnetic structures of RCoxSn2 (R = Gd-Er) compounds

Magnetic properties of RCoxSn2(R = Gd-Er) stannides, determined on the basis of magnetic and powder diffraction data, are reported. The compounds crystallize in the orthorhombic CeNiSn2-type structure. Magnetic and neutron diffraction measurements (the latter for R = Tb and Ho) show that all the compounds are antiferromagnets with Neel temperatures of 16.5 K (R = Gd), 18.8 K (R = Tb), 7 K (R = Dy), 5.6 K (R = Ho) and 4.5 K (R = Er). The neutron diffraction data indicate the presence of collinear magnetic structures described by the propagation vector k = (0, 0, 1/2) for R = Th and k = (1/2, 1/2, 0) for R = Ho. The determined magnetic structures of RCoxSn2 (R = Tb, Ho) are similar to those observed in the isostructural RNixSn2. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.