Structural trends and itinerant magnetism of the new cage-structured compound HfMnZn.

A new cage-structured compound-HfMnZn-belonging to the(= transition or rare earth metals, and= Al, Zn, or Cd) family of structures has been synthesized via the self-flux method. The new compound crystallizes in the space groupFd3¯mwith lattice parameter≈ 14.0543(2) Å (= 8) and exhibits non-stoichiometry due to Mn/Zn mixing on the Mn-site and an underoccupied Hf-site. The structure refines to HfMnZnand follows lattice size trends when compared to other HfZn(= Fe, Co, and Ni) structures. The magnetic measurements show that this compound displays a modified Curie-Weiss behavior with a transition temperature around 22 K. The magnetization shows no saturation, a small magnetic moment, and near negligible hysteresis, all signs of itinerant magnetism. The Rhodes-Wohlfarth ratio and the spin fluctuation parameters ratio both confirm the itinerant nature of the magnetism in HfMnZn.