Single crystal growth and low temperature magnetic properties of the Ce-Cu-Al ternary system

Abstract

We have succeeded in growing BaAl4-type CeCuxAl 4-x (x ∼ 0.7) and ThMn12-type CeCu4Al 8 by Al self-flux method for the first time, and the magnetic susceptibility χ and electrical resistivity ρ have been measured. These measurements indicate that CeCuxAl4-x is a ferromagnet with the Curie temperature of 3.7 K, and another unknown phase transition appears at T0=6.8 K as an abrupt increase in ρ. This latter transition is probably not due to magnetic origin, because χ does not show any anomalies at around T0. CeCu4Al8 orders antiferromagnetically below 4.7 K. We have performed crystalline electric field analysis from the anisotropy in χ, and clarified that Kondo effect plays an important role especially for CeCu4Al8. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.