New orthorhombic modification of equiatomic CePdAl

The crystal structure of a new low-temperature modification of CePdAl was determined from single-crystal x-ray data: CePdAl-type; space group Pmmn (No. 59), Z = 14, oP42, a = 0.426 07 nm, b = 2.887 58 nm, c = 0.721 90 nm; RF = 0.048. Physical properties of orthorhombic CePdAl are governed by a mutual balance of the RKKY interaction, the Kondo effect and crystalline electric field splitting, resulting in antiferromagnetic ordering below ≈2.5 K. Electronic transport is reminiscent of a textbook-like Kondo lattice, which comes along with a significant negative magnetoresistance of more than 50% at low temperatures. Although geometrical frustration is absent when compared to the hexagonal modification of CePdAl, the ordering temperature TN is even smaller. A possible cause is enhanced Kondo interactions.