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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Anisotropic magnetic behavior of Nd 3 ⁢ScBi 5 and Pr 3 ⁡ScBi 5 single crystals

Here, we report an investigation of the magnetic, thermodynamic, and transport properties of single-crystalline Nd 3 ⁢ScBi 5 and Pr 3 ⁡ScBi 5 . Both compounds crystallize in the hexagonal 𝑃⁢6 3 /𝑚⁢𝑐⁢𝑚 space group that is common to related materials with rare-earth atoms that form twisted kagome nets. Nd 3 ⁢ScBi 5 undergoes two successive antiferromagnetic transitions, at 𝑇 𝑁 =5.6K and 𝑇 2 =4.7K. When a magnetic field is applied along [100], both 𝑇 𝑁 and 𝑇 2 are suppressed with increasing field, and multiple metamagnetic transitions are observed; in-plane anisotropy is demonstrated by a slight broadening and movement of the metamagnetic transitions when the field is applied along [110]. For H ∥ [001], 𝑇 𝑁 and 𝑇 2 exhibit only a weak field dependence and metamagnetic transitions are not observed. The magnetoresistance and Hall effect respond strongly to the metamagnetic transitions and further motivate a detailed characterization of the magnetic structures under applied fields. Pr 3 ⁡ScBi 5 , in contrast, undergoes a single antiferromagnetic transition at 𝑇 𝑁 =5.3K and a single metamagnetic transition at higher fields. These findings place Nd 3 ⁢ScBi 5 and Pr 3 ⁡ScBi 5 as promising systems for exploring anisotropic magnetism and field-driven magnetic phase transitions in intermetallic compounds.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Phase diagram of CeSb 2 from magnetostriction and magnetization measurements: Evidence for ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic states

Cerium diantimonide (CeSb 2 ) is one of a family of rare-earth-based magnetic materials that exhibit metamagnetism, enabling control of the magnetic ground state through an applied magnetic field. At low temperatures, CeSb 2 hosts a rich phase diagram with multiple magnetically ordered phases for many of which the order parameter is only poorly understood. In this work, we report a study of its metamagnetic properties by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and magnetization measurements. We use STM measurements to characterize the sample magnetostriction with subpicometer resolution from magnetic field and temperature sweeps. This allows us to directly assess the bulk phase diagram as a function of field and temperature and relate spectroscopic features from tunneling spectroscopy to bulk phases. Our magnetostriction and magnetization measurements indicate that the low-temperature ground state at zero field is ferrimagnetic. Quasiparticle interference mapping shows evidence for a reconstruction of the electronic structure close to the Fermi energy upon entering the magnetically ordered phase.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Competing Interactions between Mesoscale Length-Scales, Order-Disorder, and Martensitic Transformation in Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys

In the present study, the effects of composition and heat treatments and the resulting microstructural changes on the martensitic transformation and ferromagnetic transition have been investigated in NiCoMnIn metamagnetic shape memory alloys. In this shape memory alloy system, it is observed that upon heat treatments at a wide temperature range, the onset temperature of the martensitic transformation follows a non-monotonic behavior with respect to heat treatment time, and the nature of the non-monotonic behavior is also a function of composition. This behavior cannot be attributed to well-known factors such as precipitation, change in local composition due to the precipitation and/or global degree of order. In this work, a systematic investigation through synthesis, thermal processing and characterization via thermo-physical measurements, transmission electron microscopy and in-situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments has been used to correlate the non-monotonic dependence of the martensitic transformation and ferromagnetic transition temperatures to the evolution of L2 1 domains arising from a order/disorder phase transition. A thermodynamic model for the magneto-structural transition is combined with classical nucleation theory to further ascertain the role of microstructural length-scales on the onset of the martensitic transformation. This work thus provides understanding of the thermodynamic and kinetic factors that can be controlled to tune the coupled magneto-structural transformations in NiCoMnIn metamagnetic shape memory alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of Al substitution on the magnetocaloric properties of Ni-Co-Mn-Sn multifunctional alloys

Ni-Mn-based metamagnetic shape memory alloys have been extensively studied due to their multifunctional properties including magnetocaloric effect (MCE), magnetoresistance effect, and magnetic-field-induced strain. However, the large intrinsic thermal hysteresis of these alloys sets a limit on further development for practical applications. Here, with a few atomic percent Al substitution, we greatly reduced the thermal hysteresis and transformation temperature interval while maintaining the large magnetization difference (ΔM) between austenite and martensite. The simultaneous achievement of a large ΔM and low thermal hysteresis leads to a remarkable enhancement in MCE upon Al substitution, and a maximum magnetic entropy change of 31.6 J/kg K is achieved under a field of 5 T in Ni 39 Co 11 Mn 40 Sn 8 Al 2 . Furthermore, our in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction experiments show that the Ni 39 Co 11 Mn 40 Sn 8 Al 2 has good geometric compatibility between austenite and martensite, which accounts for the reduced thermal hysteresis in this alloy. This study is instructive for the development of high-performance magnetocaloric materials in the metamagnetic shape memory alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Topological Hall Effect in Antiferromagnetic Co-Doped Fe 3 GaTe 2

Fe 3 GaTe 2 is van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnet with a Curie temperature T C ranging from 350 K to 380 K, followed upon cooling by a ferrimagnetic transition near room temperature. Substituting Fe with Co was previously reported to induce antiferromagnetism (AFM) at a Co fraction dependent Néel temperature TN. In this work, we confirm the overall phase diagram of the Fe 3-x Co x GaTe 2 series as a function of x and temperature via magnetization and electrical transport measurements. For x ≥ 0.6 the Hall effect is observed to mimic the magnetization as the AF ground state is suppressed by the external magnetic field via a metamagnetic transition, thus displaying an anomalous Hall response. At low temperatures, we also observe a pronounced topological Hall signal peaking at μ 0 H = 4 T, or within the metamagnetic transition region of fields. This observation points to the presence of magnetic field-induced chiral spin textures, such as skyrmions upon approaching magnetization saturation. Remarkably, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) reveals the emergence of nearly circular magnetic domains, with diameters on the order of 100–200 nm, within the antiferromagnetic phase. Here, a detailed analysis of the MFM images indicates that the topological Hall effect is closely linked to the field-induced stabilization of magnetic domain structures, likely exhibiting chiral textures. This observation suggests the possible formation of skyrmions already in the AFM phase, i.e., AFM skyrmions, that evolve into ferromagnetic (FM) ones upon increasing the magnetic field. Consequently, Co-doped Fe 3 GaTe 2 might provide a platform to investigate the transformation of skyrmions, initially coupled antiferromagnetically into ferromagnetic skyrmions, and to explore its impact on the topological and skyrmion Hall effects.

anomalous Hall effect↗
DOE OSTI2023

Field tunable magnetic transitions of CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH): a triangular chain structure with a frustrated geometry

The sawtooth chain compound CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) is a complex magnetic system and here, we present a comprehensive series of magnetic and neutron scattering measurements to determine its magnetic phase diagram. The magnetic properties of CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) exhibit a strong coupling to the crystal lattice and its magnetic ground state can be easily manipulated by applied magnetic fields. There are two unique Co 2+ ions, base and vertex, with J bb and J bv magnetic exchange. The magnetism is highly anisotropic with the b-axis (chain) along the easy axis and the material orders antiferromagnetically at T N = 5 K. There are two successive metamagnetic transitions, the first at H c 1 = 0.2 kOe into a ferrimagnetic structure, and the other at H c 2 = 20 kOe to a ferromagnetic phase. Heat capacity measurements in various fields support the metamagnetic phase transformations, and the magnetic entropy value is intermediate between S = 3/2 and 1/2 states. The zero field antiferromagnetic phase contains vertex magnetic vectors (Co(1)) aligned parallel to the b-axis, while the base vectors (Co(2)) are canted by 34° and aligned in an opposite direction to the vertex vectors. The spins in parallel adjacent chains align in opposite directions, creating an overall antiferromagnetic structure. Further, at a 3 kOe applied magnetic field, adjacent chains flip by 180° to generate a ferrimagnetic phase. An increase in field gradually induces the Co(1) moment to rotate along the b-axis and align in the same direction with Co(2) generating a ferromagnetic structure. The antiferromagnetic exchange parameters are calculated to be J bb = 0.028 meV and J bv = 0.13 meV, while the interchain exchange parameter is considerably weaker at J ch = (0.0047/N ch ) meV. Our results demonstrate that the CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) is a promising candidate to study new physics associated with sawtooth chain magnetism and it encourages further theoretical studies as well as the synthesis of other sawtooth chain structures with different magnetic ions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Stabilization of collinear ferromagnetic order in Ir-doped triple-layer ruthenate Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10

The triple-layer Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 is a spin-orbit-coupled metal featuring an intriguing combination of ferromagnetic and metamagnetic states. Here we report a comprehensive study of single-crystal neutron and x-ray diffraction on Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 with 4% iridium doping. The system crystallizes in an orthorhombic Bbem structure in which two triple layers are related by a base centering symmetry operation within one unit cell. The 4% Ir doping at the Ru site sensitively alters the structural balance between the RuO 6 layers, as such the two outer-layer octahedra rotate 6.7° about the c axis, while the central-layer one rotates in the opposite direction by 11.0°. The increased lattice distortion stabilizes a collinear ferromagnetic state with magnetic moments fully aligned along the c axis. The emerging perpendicular magnetic anisotropy naturally increases the critical field for the inplane metamagnetic transition to 4.5 Tesla. All results highlight the critical linkage between the magnetic properties and underlying lattice through orbital degrees of freedom, as well as the enhanced spin orbit coupling due to heavier 5d ions. Our observation provides a viable route for an efficient manipulation of the magnetic states with functionalities.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Large magnetoresistance and first-order phase transition in antiferromagnetic single-crystalline EuAg 4 Sb 2

Here, we present the results of a thorough investigation of the physical properties of EuAg 4 Sb 2 single crystals using magnetization, heat capacity, and electrical resistivity measurements. High-quality single crystals, which crystallize in a trigonal structure with space group 𝑅⁢$\bar{3}$𝑚, were grown using a conventional flux method. Temperature-dependent magnetization measurements along different crystallographic orientations confirm two antiferromagnetic phase transitions around 𝑇 𝑁⁢1 = 10.5K and 𝑇 𝑁⁢2 = 7.5K. Isothermal magnetization data exhibit several metamagnetic transitions below these transition temperatures. Antiferromagnetic phase transitions in EuAg 4 Sb 2 are further confirmed by two sharp peaks in the temperature-dependent heat capacity data at 𝑇 𝑁⁢1 and 𝑇 𝑁⁢2 , which shift to lower temperature in the presence of an external magnetic field. Our systematic heat capacity measurements utilizing a long-pulse and single-slope analysis technique allow us to detect a first-order phase transition in EuAg 4 Sb 2 at 7.5 K. The temperature-dependent electrical resistivity data also manifest two features associated with magnetic order. The magnetoresistance exhibits a broad hump due to a field-induced metamagnetic transition. Remarkably, the magnetoresistance keeps increasing without showing any tendency to saturate as the applied magnetic field increases, and it reaches ∼20 000% at 1.6 K and 60 T. At high magnetic fields, several magnetic quantum oscillations are observed, indicating a complex Fermi surface. A large negative magnetoresistance of about −55% is also observed near 𝑇 𝑁⁢1 . Moreover, the 𝐻−𝑇 phase diagram constructed using magnetization, heat capacity, and magnetotransport data indicates complex magnetic behavior in EuAg 4 Sb 2 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anisotropic magnetism of polymorphic ErAl 3

ErAl 3 can form in either a trigonal (α) or cubic (β) polymorph and this paper investigates the physical properties of these polymorphs through characterizations of single crystals grown in an aluminum flux. Here, we demonstrate that polymorph selection can be achieved based on the nominal composition of the crystal growth. Magnetic measurements confirm that both β-ErAl 3 and α-ErAl 3 order antiferromagnetically at low temperatures. β-ErAl 3 undergoes antiferromagnetic ordering at a Néel temperature T N = 5.1 K, and the transition is suppressed continually with applied field. α-ErAl 3 displays more complex behavior, with successive magnetic transitions at T N = 5.7 K and T 2 = 4.6 K for zero field, where heat capacity and dilatometry measurements evidence that these transitions are second and first order, respectively. Under magnetic field, strong anisotropy is revealed in α-ErAl 3 , with several steplike metamagnetic transitions observed below T 2 for H ∥ c. These transitions produce sequential magnetization plateaus near one-half of the apparent saturation magnetization. The electrical resistivity of α-ErAl 3 is strongly coupled to its magnetism. At T = 2 K, we observe a positive magnetoresistance reaching 60%, with distinct anomalies at the metamagnetic transitions. The results are summarized in H-T phase diagrams that demonstrate complex magnetic behavior for α-ErAl 3 , suggesting an important role of competing interactions in this metallic system that possesses characteristics of Ising physics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Oval-cycloidal Magnetic Structure with Phase-shift in the Non-centrosymmetric Tetragonal Compound CePdSi 3

CePdSi 3 with H // [100] exhibits multiple metamagnetic transitions. Since there is no frustration in this system, it is suggested that the origin of the multiple metamagnetic transitions is the influence of the antisymmetric spin–orbit interaction. To clarify the magnetic structure under the influence of the antisymmetric spin–orbit interaction, neutron diffraction experiments have been performed using single crystal samples of CePdSi3. There are observed magnetic reflections with incommensurate magnetic propagation vector q=(0.315,0,0) in the phase I. In addition, additional magnetic reflections were also observed in the phase III. The magnetic structure was found to be an oval-cycloidal structure at the phase III in CePdSi 3 , and we discuss the origin of the unusual magnetic structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Helical spin ordering in room-temperature metallic antiferromagnet Fe 3 Ga 4

Metallic Fe 3 Ga 4 displays a complex magnetic phase diagram that supports an intermediate antiferromagnetic (AFM) helical spin structure (HSS) state at room temperature which lies between two ferromagnetic (FM) phases. Here, magnetic measurements along the three crystallographic axes were performed in order to develop a model for the temperature and field dependence of the HSS state. These results show that the AFM state is a helically ordered spiral propagating along the c-axis with the magnetic moments rotating in the ab-plane. Under applied magnetic field, the AFM state exhibits a metamagnetic transition to conical ordering before entering a fully field-polarized FM state at high fields. The conical ordering in the AFM state is anisotropic even within the ab-plane and may gives rise to Berry phase effects in transport measurements. Metallic conductivity from density of states computations was confirmed through resistivity measurements and no anomalous behavior was observed through the various magnetic transitions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Magnetisation and magneto-transport measurements on CeBi single crystals

In this study, we report the synthesis of CeBi single crystals out of Bi self-flux and a systematic study of the magnetic and transport properties with varying temperature and applied magnetic fields. From these R(T, H) and M(T, H) data, we could assemble the field-temperature (H⁻T) phase diagram for CeBi and visualise the three-dimensional M⁻T⁻H surface. In the phase diagram, we identify regions with well-defined magnetisation values and identify a new phase region. The magnetoresistance (MR) in the low-temperature regime shows, above 6T a power-law, non-saturated behaviour with large MR (~3 × 10 5 % at 2K and 13.95T), along with Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations. With increasing temperatures, MR decreases, and then becomes negative for T ⪆10 K . This crossover in MR seems to be unrelated to any specific magnetic or metamagnetic transitions, but rather is associated with changing from a low-temperature normal metal regime with little or no scattering from the Ce 3 + moments and an anomalously large MR, to increased scattering from local Ce moments and a negative MR as temperature increases.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Interwoven atypical quantum states in CeLiBi 2

Here we report the discovery of CeLiBi 2 , the first example of a material in the tetragonal CeTX 2 ( T = transition metal; X = pnictogen) family wherein an alkali cation replaces the typical transition metal. Magnetic susceptibility and neutron powder diffraction measurements are consistent with a crystal-field Γ 6 ground-state Kramers doublet that orders antiferromagnetically below T N = 3.4 K with an incommensurate propagation wave vector k = ( 0, 0.0724(4), 0.5) that generates a nanometric modulation of the magnetic structure. The best model of the ordered state is an elliptical cycloid with Ce moments primarily residing in the ab plane. This is highly unusual, as all other Γ 6 CeTX 2 members order ferromagnetically. Further, we observe an atypical hard-axis metamagnetic transition at 2 T in magnetostriction, magnetization, and resistivity measurements. CeLiBi 2 is a rare example of a highly conductive material with dominant skew scattering leading to a large anomalous Hall effect. Quantum oscillations with five frequencies arise in magnetostriction and magnetic susceptibility data to T = 30 K and μ 0 H = 55 T, which indicate small Fermi pockets of light carriers with effective masses as low as 0.07 m e . Density functional theory calculations indicate that square-net Dirac-like Bi-p bands are responsible for these ultralight carriers. Together, our results show that CeLiBi 2 enables multiple atypical magnetic and electronic properties in a single clean material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Tunable magnetic order in low-symmetry SeO 3 ligand linked TM 3 (SeO 3 ) 3 H 2 O ( TM =Mn , Co, and Ni) compounds

The ability to design crystal lattices with specific sublattice geometries has long been sought after especially in the context of harnessing magnetic frustration to elicit emergent physics. One approach which has seen some success recently is to design magnetic sublattices chemically through the use of nonmagnetic linker ligands as scaffolding for the magnetic ions. In this work we report the magnetic properties of one such family of materials, the transition metal (TM) selenite hydrates with chemical formula TM 3 (SeO 3 ) 3 H 2 O. These materials link highly distorted TMO 6 octahedra via nonmagnetic [SeO 3 ] 2+ linkers. Studying members with TM = Mn, Co, and Ni we use magnetic susceptibility and neutron powder diffraction to identify antiferromagnetic order in all three compounds with moderate frustration indexes. A comparison of the magnetic structures suggests that while the overall structure of the SeO 3 scaffolding remains unchanged the TM effects changes in the magnetic properties through tuning the internal bonding parameters and the single-ion physics. Changing from Mn to Co is found to be particularly consequential manifesting changes in both the ordered-moment direction and in the direction of the ordering vector. Field-dependent measurements of the susceptibility and heat capacity reveal metamagnetic transitions in both Mn 3 (SeO 3 ) 3 H 2 O and Co 3 (SeO 3 ) 3 H 2 O indicating nearby magnetic ground states accessible under relatively small applied fields. Density functional theory calculations broadly confirm these results, showing both a sensitivity of the magnetic structure to the TM and its local environment. Although no spin liquid behavior is achieved, these results suggest the fruitfulness of such synthesis philosophies and encourage future work to engender higher frustration in these materials via doping, field, pressure, or larger linker ligands.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

NiSi: A New Venue for Antiferromagnetic Spintronics

Envisaging antiferromagnetic spintronics pivots on two key criteria of high transition temperature and tuning of underlying magnetic order using straightforward application of magnetic field or electric current. Here, it is shown that NiSi metal can provide suitable new platform in this quest. First, the study unveils high-temperature antiferromagnetism in single-crystal NiSi with Néel temperature, T N $\geqslant$ 700 K. Antiferromagnetic order in NiSi is accompanied by non-centrosymmetric magnetic character with small ferromagnetic component in the a–c plane. Second, it is found that NiSi manifests distinct magnetic and electronic hysteresis responses to field applications due to the disparity in two moment directions. While magnetic hysteresis is characterized by one-step switching between ferromagnetic states of uncompensated moment, electronic behavior is ascribed to metamagnetic switching phenomena between non-collinear spin configurations. Importantly, the switching behaviors persist to high temperature. In conclusion, the properties underscore the importance of NiSi in the pursuit of antiferromagnetic spintronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Phase diagram of magnetic shape memory alloy Ni 50 Mn $50–x$ In $x$ , 0 < $x$ , 25 from first principles, via spin cluster expansion and phonon vibrational entropies

The metamagnetic shape memory Heusler alloy Ni 50 Mn $50–x$ In $x$ exhibits a rich phase diagram featuring competing magnetic states, coupled magnetic–structural phase transitions, and strong compositional sensitivity. Existing first-principles approaches struggletocapturetheintertwinedchemical, magnetic, andvibrationaleffectsinthesealloys, necessitating a more integrated modeling framework. We develop a spin cluster expansion (spin-CE) framework augmented by a quasi-harmonic phonon model to capture both configurational (chemical and magnetic) and vibrational contributions to the free energy of Ni 50 Mn $50–x$ In $x$ over the full compositional range 0 ≤ x ≤25. The spin-CE includes both chemical clusters and composition-dependent Ising spin interactions, with parameters fit to a first-principles density functional theory (DFT) dataset. Using this approach, we predict the complete magnetostructural phase diagram and transformation temperatures of Ni 50 Mn $50–x$ In $x$ across the composition space. We find that vibrational entropy alone is insufficient to reproduce the martensitic transformation in the magnetic shape memory alloy regime, highlighting the essential role of magnetism. Incorporating both magnetic and vibrational contributions allows us to reproduce all experimentally known phases, including the disappearance of the stable martensite phase at a critical In concentration and the Curie temperature of the austenite phase. The method also captures the transition with increasing In in martensite from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic order and predicts re-entrant ferromagnetism, though the latter occurs at higher In content than reported experimentally. We discuss possible sources of this discrepancy and highlight the broader applicability of the method to other magnetostructurally complex materials, where it may offer mechanistic insight and predictive design capabilities.

Cluster expansion↗
DOE OSTI2022

Contrasting magnetic properties of polymorphic TbPt 3

Here, in this work, we report the contrasting magnetic behaviour of a bimorphic intermetallic compound TbPt 3 that undergoes a structural phase transformation from cubic AuBe 5 -type structure to the cubic AuCu 3 -type structure on annealing at high temperature for a very short time. The magnetic ground state configuration of TbPt 3 changes from ferromagnetic (FM) in AuBe 5 -type crystalline phase to antiferromagnetic (AFM) in AuCu 3 -type phase. However, the AFM ground state of the AuCu 3 -type compound is unstable, as a moderate magnetic field can induce the FM character through metamagnetic transformation. To understand the said crystallographic as well as magnetic transformations, structural and magnetic ab-initio calculations have been carried out for both phases. From theoretical calculations we have proposed that although the AuBe 5 -type structure of TbPt 3 irreversibly transforms to the AuCu 3 -type TbPt 3 by a very short heat treatment, the application of moderate magnetic field on AuCu 3 -type structure may result in recovering the magnetic properties of AuBe 5 -type structure of TbPt 3 . As the two different polymorphs exist simultaneously at ambient condition, TbPt 3 thus provides us a great opportunity to study directly the effect of crystal structure on its physical properties and vice versa.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Magnetic ordering in GdAuAl 4 Ge 2 and TbAuAl 4 Ge 2 : Layered compounds with triangular lanthanide nets

In this work, we report the synthesis and magnetic properties of GdAuAl 4 Ge 2 and TbAuAl 4 Ge 2 , where temperature and magnetic field dependent magnetization, heat capacity, and electrical resistivity measurements reveal that both compounds exhibit several magnetically ordered states at low temperatures, with evidence for magnetic fluctuations extending into the paramagnetic temperature region. For magnetic fields applied in the ab-plane there is particularly rich behavior, with several ordered state regions that are separated by metamagnetic phase transitions. Despite Gd being an isotropic S-state ion and Tb having an anisotropic J-state, there are similarities in the phase diagrams for the two compounds, suggesting that factors such as the symmetry of the crystalline lattice, which features well separated triangular planes of lanthanide ions, or the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya– Yosida interaction control the magnetism. We also point out similarities to other centrosymmetric compounds that host skyrmion lattices such as Gd 2 PdSi 3 , and propose that the LnAuAl 4 Ge 2 family of compounds are of interest as reservoirs for complex magnetism and electronic behaviors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗