Polymorphic modifications of novel cerium germanide Ce33.3Ir22.2Ge44.5 (at.%)

The formation of novel ternary cerium germanide with the chemical composition Ce33.3Ir22.2Ge44.5 (at.%) was established. As derived from powder X-ray diffraction data, the compound crystallizes with two polymorphic modifications. The high-temperature modification, established for as-cast alloy, possesses a tetragonal ThSi2-type structure and can be named as Ce(IrxGe1-x)2, x = 0.32. The low-temperature modification forms in the course of heat treatment at 1073 K, crystallizes with an orthorhombic structure of its own type and can be labeled as Ce3Ir2-xGe4+x, x = 0.02. Both structures belong to the AlB2 structural family and are closely related to each other. In both modifications, statistical mixtures of Ir and Ge atoms occupy same crystallographic sites. As found by means of magnetization measurements, the two structural variants of Ce33.3Ir22.2Ge44.5 (at.%) exhibit very similar magnetic properties. Both polymorphs are Curie-Weiss paramagnets with strong crystalline electric field features observed at low temperatures.