title: Crystal growth, structure, and physical properties of Ln(Ag, Al, Si)₂ (Ln = Ce and Gd).
abstract: Single crystals of CeM₂ and GdM₂ (M = Ag, Al, and Si) were grown by the flux growth technique and characterized by means of single crystal x-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, and heat capacity measurements. CeM₂ and GdM₂ crystallize in the tetragonal I4(1)/amd space group with the α-ThSi₂ structure type with lattice parameters a ~4.2 Å and c ~14.4 Å. Curie-Weiss behavior is observed for both analogues with CeM₂ ordering first ferromagnetically at 11 K with a second antiferromagnetic transition at 8.8 K while GdM₂ orders antiferromagnetically at 24 K. Heat capacity measurements on CeM₂ show two magnetic transitions at 10.8 and 8.8 K with an electronic specific heat coefficient, γ(0), of ~53 mJ K(-2) mol(-1). The entropy at the magnetic transition is less than the expected Rln2 for CeM₂, reinforcing the assertions of an enhanced mass state and Kondo behavior being observed in the resistivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
authors.forename: Brenton L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kangas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Capan
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haldolaarachchige
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Julia Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chan