MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES OF RCR6GE6 COMPOUNDS

Compounds of the composition RCr6Ge6 have been prepared and investigat ed by X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure was identified as the M gFe6Ge6 type. The magnetic properties of the compounds have been inves tigated through measurements of the magnetization as a function of app lied field and temperature. In the compounds with R=Dy, Ho, ET, no ind ication of magnetic ordering was found for temperatures down to 5 K. A modest ordering was found in TbCr6Ge6. Magnetization measurements on YCr6Ge6 revealed a very small saturation moment of about 0.2 mu(B) on the Cr ions. In high magnetic fields there is a tendency towards an an ti-parallel arrangement of the Tb and Cr moments.