title: A ferrimagnetic Zintl phase Pr4MnSb9: synthesis, structure, and physical properties.
abstract: A new valence precise Zintl phase, Pr4MnSb9, has been successfully synthesized by solid-state reaction at high temperature. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction data reveal its monoclinic symmetry in the space group C2/m (No. 12) with a = 24.12(2) Å, b = 4.203(3) Å, c = 15.67(2) Å, β = 98.05(1)°, and Z = 4. The structure is characterized by the covalent three-dimensional network constructed by two types of five-atom-wide Sb5(7-) ribbons that are joined by 6-fold coordinated Mn(3+) cations, through which the narrower three-atom-wide Sb3(5-) ribbons are attached as a tag, and interstitial Pr(3+) cations and single Sb(3-) anions locate within the tunnels. Its magnetic susceptibility and isothermal hysteresis suggest ferrimagnetic behavior. The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of the cold-pressed pellet suggest a semimetal feature that agrees with the spin-polarized calculation results using the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jin-Ni
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Li-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen