Single crystal growth and magnetic properties of pseudo-kagome lattice RRhPb (R = Nd, Sm and Gd)

Abstract

We have synthesized single crystals of RRhPb (R = Nd, Sm and Gd) with hexagonal ZrNiAl-type structure from Pb-flux. The crystal structures were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and the compositions were determined by electron-probe micro-analyzer (EPMA). We have measured their magnetic properties of RRhPb. It is found that the RRhPb (R = Nd, Sm and Gd) are antiferromagnets with two successive phase transitions with magnetic ordering occuring at TN1 = 3.6 K and TN2 = 3.4 K in NdRhPb, TN1 = 11.5 K and TN2 = 8.3 K in SmRhPb and TN1 = 17.6 K and TN2 = 15.3 K in GdRhPb.