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Free keywords:
PRESSURE-INDUCED SUPERCONDUCTIVITY; MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES; COMPOUND;
TEMPERATURE; DIFFRACTION; CECOGE3; MODELPhysics; magnetic order; Kondo lattice; heavy fermion; thermopower; crystal field
effect;
Abstract:
Physical properties of polycrystalline CeCrGe3 and LaCrGe3 have been investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility chi(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), electrical resistivity rho(T), specific heat C(T) and thermoelectric power S(T) measurements. These compounds are found to crystallize in the hexagonal perovskite structure (space group P6(3)/mmc), as previously reported. The rho(T), chi(T) and C(T) data confirm the bulk ferromagnetic ordering of itinerant Cr moments in LaCrGe3 and CeCrGe3 with T-C = 90 K and 70 K respectively. In addition, a weak anomaly is also observed near 3 K in the C(T) data of CeCrGe3. The T dependences of rho and finite values of Sommerfeld coefficient gamma obtained from the specific heat measurements confirm that both the compounds are of metallic character. Further, the T dependence of rho of CeCrGe3 reflects a Kondo lattice behavior. An enhanced gamma of 130 mJ mol(-1) K-2 together with the Kondo lattice behavior inferred from the rho(T) establish CeCrGe3 as a moderate heavy fermion compound with a quasi-particle mass renormalization factor of similar to 45.
