Publication Date:
2015-06-09
Description:
Polycrystalline NdCuSi is found to show co-existence of antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) phases at low temperatures, as revealed by neutron diffraction data. The coexistence is attributed to the competing exchange interactions and crystal field effect. The compound shows a large, low-field magnetoresistance (MR) of ∼ − 32% at 20 kOe below T N (3.1 K), which becomes ∼ − 36% at 50 kOe. The MR value at 50 kOe is found to be the highest among the RTX compounds. Magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is also found to show a large value of ∼11 J/kg K close to T N . Resistivity data show the presence of spin fluctuations, which get suppressed by the applied field. Large MR and MCE in this compound arise due to the coexistence of the two phases. The field dependencies of MR and MCE show quadratic behavior, confirming the presence of spin fluctuations.
Electronic ISSN:
2166-532X
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
