Eur. Phys. J. B 30, 25-32 (2002)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2002-00334-3

Crystal structure and magnetic ordering of RNi₁₀Si₂ compounds

¹ Mineralogisch-Petrologisches Institut, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
² ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
³ INFM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/a, 41100, Modena, Italy
⁴ Australian Neutron Scattering Group, ANSTO, Lucas Heights, Menai, Australia
⁵ Van-der-Waals-Zeeman Institute, University of Amsterdam, Valckenierstraat 65, 1018 XE Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Corresponding author: ^a W.Kockelmann@rl.ac.uk

Received: 10 July 2002
Revised: 12 September 2002
Published online: 29 October 2002

Abstract

The element distributions and the magnetic ordering behaviour of compounds RNi₁₀Si₂ (, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm) have been studied by neutron powder diffraction down to temperatures of 1.6 K. The compounds crystallize in an ordered variant of the ThMn₁₂ structure type in the tetragonal space group P4/nmm. An ordered 1:1 distribution of Ni and Si on sites 4d and 4e, respectively, corresponds to a modulation vector [0, 0, 1] with respect to the space group I4/mmm of the ThMn₁₂ structure. TbNi₁₀Si₂ orders antiferromagnetically below T_N=4.5 K with a magnetic propagation vector of [0, 0, 1/2]. The magnetic Tb moments, 8.97(2) /Tb atom at 1.6 K, are aligned along the c-axis. The Ni sites in TbNi₁₀Si₂ do not carry any ordered magnetic moments. The compounds with , Ho, Er, and Tm are paramagnetic down to 1.6 K and 3.0 K, respectively.