Heat capacity of the ternary compounds RENiC2 (RE=Dy, Ho, Er, and Y)

The heat capacities of the ternary compounds RENiC2 (RE=Dy, Ho, Er, and Y) were studied in the temperature range between 2 and 30 K. From the heat cap acity curves, the ordering temperatures are found to be 7.5, 3.0, and 8.1 K for DyNiC2, HoNiC2, and ErNiC2, respectively. Also a small peak is found a t 4.7 K for DyNiC2. The heat capacity of YNiC2 was well-fitted with an aver age Debye temperature of 456 K in the temperature range between 2 and 30 K. The magnetic heat capacities and the changes of magnetic entropy for RENiC 2 (RE=Dy, Ho, and Er) indicate a strong influence of the crystal field on t hese compounds. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.