The one of the main tasks of solid-state sciences is searching for a new group of intermetallic compounds with magnetic properties, based on which it is possible to make new magnetic materials for practical applications. In this communication we present the results of crystal structure determination and some magnetic properties for a new compound - NdFe₈Ga₃C.

The compound was synthesized by arc melting under an argon atmosphere in an arc furnace with a water-cooled copper bottom (Ti-getter) with following heat treatment at 870 K. X-ray diffraction pattern was obtained on a HZG-4a (FeKα radiation) automatic powder diffractometer. The crystal structure was solved and refined with the "WinCSD" program package [1] using Rietveld method. The magnetization versus applied field and temperature was measured using vibrating sample magnetometer.

The compound NdFe₈Ga₃C crystallizes in tetragonal structure type CeNi_8.6Si_2.4 (space group I4₁/amd) with lattice parameters a=1.0279(1), c=0.66785(9) nm (R_I=10.07, R_P=4.39, R_wP=6.97) and atomic parameters: Nd (4b) 0 1/4 3/8 B_iso=0.0022(8)nm²; Fe (32i) 0.2056(8) 0.1239(11) 0.0618(12) B_iso=0.0027(8)nm²; Ga (4a) 0 3/4 1/8 B_iso=0.0154(8)nm²; Ga (8c) 0 0 0 B_iso=0.0181(8)nm² and C (8d) 0 0 1/2 B_iso=0.02 nm², G=0.5.

The magnetization at field 10 kOe is σ=104.7 A m²/kg, the Curie temperature is T_C=389 K.

[1] L. Akselrud, Yu. Grin, V. Pecharsky, P. Zavalij, B. Baumgartner, E. Wolfel, in: Materials Science Forum, Proceedings of the Second European Powder Diffraction Conference, Enschede, The Netherlands, Use of the CSD program package for structure determination from powder data, Trans. Tech. Pub. Pt. 1 (1993) 335-340.

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1. CRYSTAL-CHEMICAL APPROACH IN SEARCH OF NEW RARE-EARTH INTERMETALLICS FOR MAGNETIC APPLICATIONS