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 𝑃6 3 /𝑚𝑐𝑚 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.