Origin of the metamagnetic transitions in Y 0.9 Tb 0.1 Fe 2 D 4.3

• Published in: Journal of solid state chemistry 2024-10, Vol.338
• Main Authors: Paul-Boncour, V., Shtender, Vitalii, Provost, K., Phejar, M., Cuevas, F., Skourski, Y., Isnard, O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Deuteride; Laves phase; Magnetic transitions; Metamagnetism; Neutron diffraction
• ISSN: 0022-4596; 1095-726X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2024.124898

Deuterium insertion was used to tune the magnetic properties of Y 0.9 Tb 0.1 Fe 2 Laves phase towards an itinerant electron metamagnetic (IEM) behavior. The latter is highly sensitive to chemical changes and external parameters. The structural and magnetic properties of Y 0.9 Tb 0.1 Fe 2 D 4.3 were investigated using various neutron powder diffraction experiments in addition to magnetic measurements under steady and pulsed high magnetic fields up to 60T. The deuteride crystallizes in a monoclinic structure (Pc space group) with 4.3 D atoms located in 18 tetrahedral interstitial sites. At zero field, it undergoes a ferrimagnetic-antiferromagnetic (FiM-AFM) transition at T M0 =90K, accompanied by an anisotropic magnetostriction and a negative cell volume expansion of 0.6%. A second AFM-PM transition is observed at 146K. Under pulsed magnetic field at 4.2K, the deuteride displays a multistep magnetic behavior from ferrimagnetic to a ferromagnetic state, which can be attributed to a stepwise rotation of the Tb moments. The ZFC-FC magnetization curves at low fields exhibit an irreversibility below 90K, followed by a sharp decrease in magnetization at the FM-AFM transition. Between 90K and 130K, the magnetization curves display an IEM behavior, with the transition field increasing linearly with temperature.