MOSSBAUER AND MAGNETIC-SUSCEPTIBILITY INVESTIGATIONS OF STRONTIUM, LANTHANUM AND EUROPIUM TRANSITION-METAL PHOSPHIDES WITH THCR2SI2 TYPE-STRUCTURE

The magnetic properties of the compounds AT//2P//2(A equals Sr, La, Eu; T equals Fe, Co) and EuNi//2P//2 were studied by **5**7Fe and **1**5**1Eu Mossbauer spectroscopy, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. SrFe//2P//2 and LaFe//2P//2 are Pauli paramagnets, while SrCo//2P//2 is weakly magnetic with a broad maximum in the susceptibility curve at 115 K, which is rationalized by a weak interaction between the itinerant electrons. LaCo//2P//2 and EuFe//2P//2 are ferromagnets with a Curie temperature of T//C equals 125 plus or minus 3 K and T//C equals 27. 5 plus or minus 0. 5 K. EuCo//2P//2 orders antiferromagnetically at the Neel temperature T//N equals 66. 5 plus or minus 0. 5 K. The intermediate valence compound EuNi//2P//2 shows no magnetic order down to 4. 2 K.