Eur. Phys. J. B 83, 167-172 (2011)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2011-90684-x

Magnetic and structural properties of Pd–Mn–Sn intermetallics compounds

¹ Universidade Federal de Pelotas – CDTec, Praça Domingos Rodrigues, 2, Cep. 96010-440, Pelotas/RS, Brasil
² Universidade Federal de Pampa, Campus Bagé, Bagé/RS, Brasil
³ Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul, Unidade de Novo Hamburgo, Novo Hamburgo/RS, Brasil
⁴ Universidade Federal do Paraná, LORXI – DF, Curitiba/PR, Brasil
⁵ Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de Física, Porto Alegre/RS, Brasil

Corresponding author: ^a fabio.saraiva.rocha@gmail.com

Received: 7 October 2010
Revised: 25 April 2011
Published online: 15 September 2011

Abstract

Magnetic and structural properties of Heusler Pd_0.5Mn_0.5-xSn_x with x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.17, 0.20 and 0.25, have been studied by magnetisation and X-ray diffraction measurements at room and low temperatures. The crystal structure at room temperature is L2₁ cubic phase for x = 0.17, 0.20, 0.25 and B2 cubic phase for x = 0.10. Martensite structure 10M, was observed at room temperature for x = 0.05. X-ray measurements at low temperatures revealed a structural transformation from B2 to 14M for the x = 0.10 case. The lattice parameter of the L2₁ phase decreases linearly with the concentration, x. A ferromagnetic behaviour has been detected for L2₁ compounds, but the ferromagnetic exchange characteristic of each composition is of different strength. This gives rise to different Curie temperatures.