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Crystal structure, magnetostriction, magnetic and magnetothermal properties have been studied for novel non-stoichiometric ErFe 2 Mn x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) compounds. It has been found that for х ≤ 0.4 the compounds crystallize with MgCu 2 -type structure. Curie temperature and magnetic moment values decrease with manganese alloying. Molecular field coefficients have been calculated within ferrimagnetic two-sublattice molecular field model. Magnetic and heat capacity measurements have been used to calculate magnetocaloric effect in a wide temperature range. It has been demonstrated that increasing the Mn content in ErFe 2 Mn x leads to a significant increase (up to 39 %) of anisotropic magnetostriction value at 77 K in magnetic field of 18 kOe. At the same time, the value of effective magnetocrystalline anisotropy decreases. Thus, manganese alloying opens new way for tuning magnetocrystalline anisotropy and magnetostriction in Laves phase compounds. [Display omitted] • single phase non-stoichiometric ErFe 2 Mn х compounds are formed up to Mn concentration x = 0.4. • ErFe 2 Mn х compounds with x ≤ 0.2 have the compensation temperatures at М (Т) curves. • Curie temperature and magnetic moment values decrease with manganese alloying. • The value of anisotropic magnetostriction significant increase with increasing the Mn content. • The value of effective magnetocrystalline anisotropy decreases with increasing the Mn content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 3 d − 4 f intermetallic compounds, a Co substitution for Fe usually strengthens the exchange interactions due to a shift of the Fermi energy to a region of the 3 d band with higher density of states. Here, we study the influence of Co on the magnetism of ferrimagnetic DyFe 5 Al 7 using magnetization measurements in static (up to 14 T) and pulsed (up to 58 T) magnetic fields. We find that the homogeneity range of DyFe 5− x Co x Al 7 is limited to x ≤ 2.5 . The Co substitution for Fe produces a strong detrimental effect on the 3 d − 3 d intrasublattice exchange interactions, which leads to a pronounced decrease of the Curie temperature and of the 3 d − 4 f intersublattice exchange field. A reduction of the density of states at the Fermi level might occur due to a broadening of the 3 d band. A decrease of the rare-earth contribution to the magnetic anisotropy energy is also observed with increasing Co content. This is attributed to a competition between the Fe and Co contributions to the crystal electric field at the Dy site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic structure of La 1- x Tb x Mn 2 Si 2 compounds with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 has been studied by powder neutron diffraction and magnetization measurements on single-crystal samples. We demonstrate that at 4.2 K, with increasing the Tb concentration, a canted ferromagnetic structure of LaMn 2 Si 2 changes at x > 0.2 to a canted antiferromagnetic structure. The antiferromagnetic in-plane component of Mn moment decreases with increasing concentration x and vanishes at x > 0.5. TbMn 2 Si 2 is characterized by a collinear in-plane Mn ordering and ferrimagnetic structure, in which the Mn sublattice possesses the ferromagnetic interlayer alignment along the easy c -axis. Neutron diffraction study does not reveal a long-range magnetic order of Tb moments for the compounds with x ≤ 0.4. Our results show that for concentrations 0.2 < x ≤ 0.4, a competition of the interlayer Tb-Mn, Mn-Mn exchange interactions and strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy leads to formation of a frustrated magnetic state of Tb ions, which prevents magnetic ordering in the Tb sublattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]