Discovery of spin glass behavior in Ln2Fe4Sb5 (Ln = La-Nd and Sm).

Single crystals of Ln(2)Fe(4)Sb(5) (Ln = La-Nd and Sm) were grown from an inert Bi flux. Measurements of the single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that these compounds crystallize in the tetragonal space group I4/mmm with lattice parameters of a ≈ 4 Å, c ≈ 26 Å, V ≈ 500 Å(3), and Z = 2. This crystal structure consists of alternating LnSb(8) square antiprisms and Fe-sublattices composed of nearly equilateral triangles of bonded Fe atoms.

Synthesis, structure, magnetic and transport properties of LnFeSb3 (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb)--tuning of anisotropic long-range magnetic order as a function of Ln.

Single crystals of LnFeSb(3) (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb) have been grown from excess Sb flux. The crystal structure consists of (infinity)(2)[FeSb(2)] octahedra separated by layers of Ln atoms and nearly square planar nets of (infinity)(2)[Sb(2)]. These compounds are metallic and display anisotropic magnetic properties.