Structural and magnetic properties of a novel DyFe9.16V0.50 intermetallic compound with a disordered CaCu5-type structure

A Dy-Fe-V intermetallic compound has been prepared by arc melting elemental constituents, followed by annealing at 1123 K. This compound with a nomina l composition of DyFe9.16V0.50, crystallizes in a disordered CaCu5-type str ucture (space group P6/mmm). Structure analysis is performed on x-ray powde r diffraction data by the Rietveld method, and the lattice parameters are a =4.8692(1) Angstrom, c=4.1750(3) Angstrom. The calculated stoichiometric fo rmula is Dy-1.00(1)(Fe, V)(9.9(2)). Magnetic measurements give a Curie temp erature of 473 K and a saturation magnetization M-s of 69.4 and 76.5 A m(2) /kg at 5 and 300 K, respectively. The fact that the M-s value is higher at higher temperatures is attributed to the ferrimagnetic structure of the com pound. X-ray powder diffraction measurements on magnetically aligned powder show that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy is of an easy plane type at ro om temperature. ac susceptibility, magnetic polarization measurements and t he calculation of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constants confirm this result at room temperature and indicate that the magnetocrystalline anisotr opy remains of an easy plane type over the whole temperature range between 5 and 300 K. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)04322-4 ].