Structural transitions in RNi(10)Si(2) intermetallics.

Intermetallic compounds of the type RFe(10)Si(2) and RCo(10)Si(2) crystallize in the ThMn(12) structure (space group I4/mmm) whilst the heavy rare earth series RNi(10)Si(2) crystallize in a maximal subgroup of I4/mmm, P4/nmm. Reported here are neutron powder diffraction investigations for TbNi(10)Si(2) and ErNi(10)Si(2) which show that the P4/nmm structure undergoes a high temperature order-disorder phase transition at approximately 930 °C above which the ordered Ni and Si fractions revert to a random distribution on 4d and 4e sites. The volume expansion has been tracked in detail via the temperature dependence of the lattice parameters, whilst the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficients α(11), α(33) and α(volume) has been determined from the lattice parameters.

Transition-metal-based magnetic refrigerants for room-temperature applications.

Magnetic refrigeration techniques based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) have recently been demonstrated as a promising alternative to conventional vapour-cycle refrigeration. In a material displaying the MCE, the alignment of randomly oriented magnetic moments by an external magnetic field results in heating. This heat can then be removed from the MCE material to the ambient atmosphere by heat transfer.

Modulated structure of La2Co1.7 from neutron and X-ray diffraction data.

An La(2)Co(1.7) crystal was investigated by single-crystal neutron and X-ray diffraction. The neutron measurement was performed with a Laue white-beam technique at 15 K and room temperature, using a large position-sensitive detector.