Magnetic hyperfine interactions in the Zintl phase EuZnSn

Abstract

Magnetic susceptibility,¹¹⁹Sn and ¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer effect measurements are reported for the Zintl phase EuZnSn which crystallizes with the TiNiSi-type structure. The stannide shows Curie–Weiss behaviour above 40 K with an experimental magnetic moment of µ_exp=7.88(5) µ_B /Eu, close to that of the free Eu²⁺ ion of µ_eff=7.94 µ_B . At 20.5(2) K a magnetic phase transition to the antiferromagnetic state is observed in the temperature dependence of the inverse susceptibility at a magnetic flux density of 0.01 T. Magnetization measurements at 5 K indicate metamagnetism with a saturation magnetic moment of 6.80(5) µ_B /Eu and a critical field of 0.7(1) T. ¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer measurements show an isomer shift δ=-10.9 mm s^-1 against EuF₃ , as is typically observed for divalent europium. While onset of magnetic ordering is evident at T₀=26.5(5) K, full magnetic order is detected near 15 K. ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectra show a large transferred magnetic field of 12.8 T at 4.2 K. The temperature dependence of this field is closely correlated with the internal magnetic field measured at the ¹⁵¹Eu site (23.4 T at 4.2 K).

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