hide
Free keywords:
-
Abstract:
The alloys Ce8Pd24(Al1-xSnx) with 0 <= x <= 1 were studied by means of electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, thermoelectric power, magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements. In the entire composition range, an antiferromagnetic (AFM) long-range ordering has been established at low temperatures, with the Neel temperature increasing linearly from T-N = 4.3 K for Ce8Pd24Al to T-N = 7 K for Ce8Pd24Sn. Below T-N, the electrical resistivity is dominated by scattering conduction electrons on spin-wave excitations. In the paramagnetic state, the electrical transport in the alloys with 0 <= x <= 0: 7 reveals both coherent Kondo lattice scattering and crystal-electric field (CEF) effect, while that in the alloys with x >= 0: 8 appears governed by CEF only. Above T-N, all the alloys exhibit well localized magnetic behavior due to trivalent Ce ions. At high temperatures, the thermoelectric power can be interpreted in terms of a phenomenological resonance model giving an estimate of the CEF effect. The thermoelectric figure of merit of Al-rich alloys is small compared to those of commercial thermoelectric materials. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.